


An Act of War

by Liz (lizz_mer)



Series: Royal SBI au [1]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Dadza, Family, Family Dynamics, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, I don't know what I'm doing, Kidnapping, Magic Exists, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective Older Brothers, Protective Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Protective Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Protective Wilbur Soot, Schlatt is a real pos in this ngl, Sleepy Bois Inc as Family, Tommy really needs a hug doesn't he?, TommyInnit Angst (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit Needs a Hug (Video Blogging RPF), Villain Jschlatt (Video Blogging RPF), Whump, Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings, Wilbur and Techno are twins in this, royal au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:35:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 33,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28486188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizz_mer/pseuds/Liz
Summary: The Antarctic Empire is a thriving, peaceful land; It is ruled by a king who is beloved by his people and his allies.Overnight, the kingdom is thrown into chaos when their youngest prince is stolen from his own bed in the middle of the night, a taunting letter left in his place. The king and his eldest sons are left confused and distraught- desperate for answers and revenge.Prince Tommy never saw them coming, he couldn't have. One moment, he's sleeping peacefully; the next, he's swept into his worst nightmare. As quickly as it had begun, it was over, and Tommy was gone into thin air.
Relationships: Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson, Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit & Phil Watson
Series: Royal SBI au [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2199060
Comments: 384
Kudos: 1564
Collections: Found family to make me feel something, MCYT Fic Rec





	1. Gone

**Author's Note:**

> heads up! I'm not much of a writer and I've never really tried to write serious fanfiction before (or fanfiction at all for that matter). this is my first post on ao3, be gentle pls

It had been a peaceful night, like any other; the only sounds to be heard were the soft cooing of the occasional owl.

The Antarctic Empire’s palace stood proudly in the center of it’s kingdom, like a solid mountain. Inside the palace housed the royal family, each member secured in their bedrooms for the night, everyone was fast asleep. It was peaceful and serene.

It would not last.

There was a threat looming in the shadows. The castle was not safe. Unbeknownst to anyone, there was a group of cloaked figures swiftly scaling their way up the side of the building’s tallest tower, silent as the wind.

In no time at all, they had reached the balcony at the top of the spire; they paused for a moment, double checking that they all had the materials they brought ready to go. They would need to act quickly and efficiently if they were to pull this plan off.

With a silent nod from their leader, the group creaked open the balcony door, and crept into the lavish bedchamber it belonged to. It only took a second to verify that they were in the right room; a mass of golden blonde hair was poking out from the covers of the bed. With that, they descended on their target.

Prince Tommy hadn’t seen them coming, he couldn’t have. He had been sleeping peacefully in his bedroom for hours by that point- blissfully unaware of the world around him. That changed when he was violently roused from his slumber by a pair of hands grabbing him and dragging him off the bed in one swift motion. Tommy was drowsy, confused, and disoriented- he had yet to comprehend what had just happened. Had he just fallen out of bed? Was he still dreaming?

Tommy hadn’t even had time to blink the sleepy haze from his eyes before a wet rag of some sort was pressed firmly over his face and held there. The coolness of whatever substance was on the cloth startled him into immediate awareness. On instinct, he reached up to remove it, but something was holding him down and Tommy began to panic. It had become crystal clear that he wasn’t dreaming; his eyes snapped open to reveal a group of multiple adults crowded over him, all wearing black masks. None of them spoke a word.

They were holding him down. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t breathe. He was pinned to the floor, his chest felt tight, his heart racing. What was going on? Who was attacking him? How on earth did they even get in here??

He screamed for his father, for his brothers, for anyone- to come to his aid, but no meaningful sound was produced. The cloth that was still held over his mouth and nose muffled any attempt at calling for help. It was difficult to breathe properly. The boy writhed and kicked violently; desperately hoping to throw his assailants off of him, but his limbs felt heavy all of a sudden- like they were made of iron.

He needed to get out! He needed to...what did he need to do again?

His thoughts began to cloud once more, and Tommy felt so drowsy… he was overcome with an overwhelming compulsion to sleep. The rational part of his brain screamed at him to _stay awake. Do not fall asleep._

But he was so tired... his body had long since gone limp and his vision blurred. Tommy’s heart rate slowed and his breathing evened out involuntarily, despite the last remnants of his consciousness still clawing to get out, it wasn’t enough. He closed his eyes, and everything went black.

As quickly as the attack had begun, it was over. Prince Tommy had fought back a bit harder than expected, but it was of little concern. They had accounted for that sort of obstacle by doubling the potency of the sleeping potion they brought. within about 30 seconds of unsuccessful struggling, he was out like a light. The group made quick work of securing the young prince’s wrists and ankles with rope, carefully descending the tower with him, and mounting their waiting horses when they reached the ground, mindful not to drop the sleeping royal they had just stolen, their orders were not to harm him. And just like that, they were gone- unseen and unheard by anyone in the palace walls.

\----

Prince Tommy’s absence was not noticed until the next morning, when a shrill scream rang out through the palace, calling for the guards. It was a servant, who had entered the prince’s room after knocking and receiving no answer. She had assumed he was still asleep, and went to wake him for breakfast. What she found was an empty bed, with a small envelope left on the pillows. Upon opening it, she let out an involuntary shriek at the message written within.

_To his majesty King Philza,_

_I hope this message finds you well. Though I'm sure you are quite distressed by now and want answers. I am happy to provide them._

_I have taken your son. Not to worry, I ordered my men to bring him unharmed, he is alive and well for now. From this point forward, any injury he receives will be a direct result of your actions. Do not attempt to locate him, or there will be consequences. It'd be a shame for such a bright young lad to lose an eye, wouldn't you agree? If you wish to ever lay eyes on him again, you will do as I demand._

_You have ruled these lands for far too long, your highness. The people have grown too content and comfortable under your leadership, your kingdom has enjoyed it’s longest era of peace in centuries. But with peace, comes weakness. I intend to take full advantage of that fact. You are weak. Your country is weak. Your family is weak._

_I am not._

_We will be in touch again soon. Don’t do anything you’ll regret until then. Prince Thomas sends his regards._

_~JS_


	2. Devastated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy's family reacts to some upsetting news

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys said you wanted more, so heres some more

It didn't seem real.

King Philza was pacing back and forth across the throne room, letter in hand. He must have read it dozens of times by now- yet he couldn't keep from reading it again. It was as though he was certain there were more answers hidden in the short message if he just looked hard enough. 

He may not have looked it, but it was taking every single fiber of Phil's being not to lose his mind. He wanted to scream, he wanted to kill something, he wanted to make _someone_ suffer for this. The knowledge that his son's safety was dependent on his compliance was barely enough to contain his fury... but not his fear. 

Immediately after Phil had received the letter from a distraught guard, he sent for the two eldest princes, Tommy's older brothers. Had they been attacked too? They were both certainly capable of fighting off attackers, but clearly the people behind this worked _very_ quickly. Not a single thing had been out of place in Tommy's room, except for the unmade bed; no sign of a struggle anywhere. Whatever happened the previous night had happened fast.

Phil wondered how fast. Did Tommy even have time to see what happened? Had he called out to him, hoping for aid? Was he even still alive right now? This stupid letter could just be a lie and his son was already gone. How was he supposed to believe that he was unharmed? What would happen if he acted to rashly? Would they torture Tommy? Kill him? Gods, he wanted to tear his hair out-

There was a creak in the massive throne room doors as two tall figures came rushing in. It was Wilbur and Technoblade, his other sons; despite the fact that they were twins, they were easily told apart due to the fact that Techno insisted on coloring his hair pink, for whatever reason. The pair made their way across the room hastily, with expectant looks on their faces. A small feeling of relief washed over the king, knowing that his other two children were safe at the very least.

"Dad...what's the matter? What happened?" Wilbur finally spoke up. He, nor his brother had been told the news yet. They had simply been sparring in the castle courtyard when a frantic attendant informed them that their father wished to see them immediately. 

"Where's Tommy?" Techno asked plainly, "Why is everyone so worked up?"

Phil opened his mouth to explain, but found that he couldn't. He couldn't bring himself to say the words out loud. _'Your brother is missing, he's might be dead or worse'_ was all he needed to say, but he couldn't force it out, as if it wouldn't be true if he didn't say it- but he knew better. Wordlessly, he held out the letter for his sons to take.

It was Techno who grabbed it, holding it between Wilbur and himself so they could both read what was written. 

The silence that followed was ripe with tension. Both brothers looked at each other, then at Phil, who nodded solemnly. No one seemed to want to speak, either that, or they couldn't find the words. Techno's knuckles were white as he clenched them around the page he held, a visible inferno in his eyes. Wilbur was staring into nothing, letting out shaky breaths, clearly just barely holding it together. The two of them looked as though they might explode at any moment. 

"Who?" Techno asked with a darkness in his voice that Phil had never heard before, "Who did this?"

"Nobody saw them." Was all Phil managed to answer.

"Nobody saw them?! How is that possible? Not even a single guard? No one heard anything? That's... That's absurd!" Techno snapped.

"Yes it is. They must have been observing the guards' patrol schedules for days...they must have found a blind spot long enough to... to carry out their plan. We don't even know how many of them there were."

Techno promptly punched a nearby pillar, seething with rage. This couldn't be fucking real. Their castle was among the most fortified places in the kingdom! It was the safest place anyone could possibly be. This couldn't have really happened. Why Tommy? He was no threat, he had done nothing to deserve this. He... He was still just a kid, how cruel must one be to do something like this? Why Tommy? Why would they choose to take Tommy?

"They planned this." Wilbur's voice was barely above a whisper, but it was enough to break the silence that had settled on the room once more. He was still staring at the floor, not bothering to conceal his trembling hands, "They targeted him... on purpose. He doesn't have the combat experience to we do, and he's such a heavy sleeper... they knew he wouldn't be able to fight back. They- they were watching." 

That was the answer Techno was looking for. Despite his little brother's fighting spirit and confidence, Tommy was undeniably the weakest of them; he had barely begun his training with a sword. He was smart and quick-witted, but very skinny, and rather sloppy with a weapon. He had never been in a real battle, never learned to sleep with his ears open and a weapon nearby, never learned how to wrestle himself from anyone's grip. The Antarctic Empire hadn't had any military conflicts in years. There had been no need to force Tommy to be a warrior at such a young age. He hadn't even been allowed to hold a sword until he was 13. Their father never wanted his youngest to have to worry about being a soldier, he had wanted Tommy to enjoy his childhood.

"THEY TOOK HIM ON PURPOSE!" the shout from his brother snapped Techno out of his thoughts. Wilbur was breathing heavily, hands balled up into tight fists. He seemed to be talking to no one in particular. it seemed like the shock finally wore off. Wilbur was never particularly good at handling stressful situations... he always got far too emotional for his own good, "THEY _TARGETED_ HIM...THEY _CHOSE_ HIM. THEY WANTED SOMEONE WHO WOULDN'T FIGHT BACK! THEY-"

"Wil." Phil interrupted his son's shouting with a firm, yet gentle tone, "take a breath."

"What do you mean 'take a breath'?? TOMMY IS MISSING AND YOU WANT ME TO TAKE A _BREATH?!_ WHY ARE WE JUST STANDING HERE? WHY AM I THE ONLY ONE SO UPSET BY THIS?" Wilbur yelled, throwing his hands in the air in frustration. Angry tears were burning the backs of his eyes, threatening to come out at any moment. He couldn't fathom how his father managed to be so _calm_ about this... they should be gone already, tracking down the bastards that dared to commit such a crime against his family.

Technoblade couldn't help but feel a little offended that Wilbur would even insinuate that he wasn't upset by this. Of course he was upset, he was _fuming;_ he was certain their father was too, "Screaming isn't going to help anything. We need to keep our heads and be rational, you know that." he said. 

Phil nodded in agreement, "We need a plan, Wilbur... please understand, I'm barely holding it together here..." He placed a hand on both of his sons' shoulders; not only to comfort them, but to ground himself. He wanted with all his heart to scream and yell like Wilbur just had, he wanted to sink his sword into the chest of the one who took his son away from him. But he was the king, he was responsible for so much more than his own family's well being- he had an entire country to lead and protect. He had to maintain a strong façade for the sake of his people, but that didn't mean he wasn't falling apart on the inside. 

Wilbur seemed to understand, giving his father and brother an apologetic look. He hadn't meant to blow up like that, but his emotions got the better of him, "Sorry..." He mumbled sheepishly.

Without warning, Wilbur was pulled into a tight embrace, "We'll get him back, Wil. I promise you, We will bring him home, okay?" Phil whispered with confidence. It was unclear whether or not that confidence was real, "We'll get him back."

Techno stood a few feet away, happy to stay out of the touchy-feely stuff. He was re-reading the letter; the only thing left behind by Tommy's abductors, when a question dawned on him. It should have been the first question he'd asked, but the shocking news had thrown him off. The note was threatening and ominous, and it reeked of smugness- but it was signed.

Who on earth was 'JS'?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the dialogue flowed okay, I've never been confident in my ability to write it lol
> 
> I'm not sure how long chapters will end up being in the future. If I make them shorter, I'll probably update more often; but If I make them longer, it'll probably take me awhile to get them finished.
> 
> comments are appreciated


	3. Voice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy tries to intimidate his captors. 
> 
> Emphasis on 'tries'.

Tommy’s head felt like it was full of cotton. The sounds around him were echoey and distant. No matter how many times he blinked, he couldn’t quite get his eyes to focus. It was like some sort of mental limbo, somewhere between consciousness and sleep. Tommy lingered there for what felt like an eternity, trying to clear the molasses from his brain. Luckily after a few minutes, his head began to clear and the world around him came into focus. Damn, he must have slept like a baby last night.

He went to stretch out his arms, but found it odd that they wouldn’t move the way he wanted them too- they wouldn’t budge. Why couldn’t he…?

Wait…

Oh no.

Several things occurred to Tommy in a matter of seconds, hitting him like a ton of bricks.

One: He was most certainly not in his bedroom.

Two: His arms and legs appeared to be tied… painfully tightly.

Three: It smelled like horses

Four: All he could really see was the dirt ground beneath him, and it was _moving_.

Five: A group of masked men really had broken into his room in the middle of the night and kidnapped him; it wasn’t a nightmare like he thought.

He was on a horse, slung over the back of the saddle on his stomach like fucking luggage. There were several other horses around, though he couldn’t see them too well from his vantage point staring at the ground. Nobody was speaking. He had no way of knowing how long he was asleep or how far they had travelled. He had no fucking idea where he was or where he was headed. His wrists and ankles burned from the rough rope chafing and digging into the skin. His back ached from however long he had been laying in this position on the horse. This was real. He was alone.

And he was starting to panic.

“Wh-what the fuck.. Where the _fuck_ am I?” He muttered to himself, but not quietly enough to avoid being heard.

The group of horses stopped almost immediately and Tommy was sure he heard someone say ‘I think he’s awake,’ and he felt the saddle shift as the rider dismounted and approached him. The other riders seemed to follow suit.

That can’t be good.

Someone grabbed his chin and roughly pulled his face up, presumably to confirm that he was indeed awake. It strained his neck quite a bit. Tommy pulled his head out of the man’s grip, glaring daggers at him. The man promptly turned and walked over to his group a few feet away, they appeared to be discussing something.

Tommy was scared shitless, for sure, but he would never give these bastards the satisfaction of seeing him scared. He was a prince after all, he was supposed to be strong and...noble... and stuff. What kind of prince would he be if he cowered in fear? Besides, it was only a matter of time before his family came for him. They were probably already on their way now. Maybe Tommy could handle this situation on his own before they got there.

“Who are you people?” He asked loudly, “Where are you taking me?”

He received no response. It was clear that they had heard him, it was impossible for them not to hear him.

“Hellooo?” Tommy questioned again, “I don’t know if you know this, but I’m kind of… one of the king’s sons. Yeah. Probably not a good idea to do… all this.”

Still, he received no answer.

“Uhm. I think my dad will be pretty pissed when he finds out I’m missing, I don’t think you guys wanna see that… If you take me back now I might be able to talk him out of executing you… heh.”

Nothing. They were talking amongst themselves but they were pretending like they couldn’t hear him. The dickheads were ignoring him!

“HEY! WILL YOU ASSHOLES LISTEN TO ME? ARE YOU AFRAID I’LL KICK YOUR ASSES? PUSSIES.” The prince shouted with a confidence that he probably shouldn’t have, “I’LL BET I COULD TAKE ALL OF YOU DOWN IN A FIGHT!”

A couple of the men started clenching their fists, looking more and more tense as Tommy’s tauntings continued. Finally, he was getting some sort of reaction. Maybe if he annoyed them enough, they’d let him go? That seemed to work on his brothers whenever he wanted them to leave him alone. At least he might be able to slow them down by being a pain in the ass.

“YOU THINK I’M SCARED OF YOU? HUH? UNTIE ME, BITCH. I’LL FUCKIN KILL YOU, BITCH!” He continued to taunt his kidnappers, his confidence genuinely growing.

That was until he thought he heard someone say ‘gag him’ before the group broke apart and headed towards their horses.

Uh oh.

The one who’s horse he was laying on approached again, reaching into his saddlebag and pulling out a strip of cloth that Tommy suspects was brought specifically for this purpose.

“W-wait- don’t come anywhere near me with that, I’m warning you-” Tommy’s confidence started to crumble, and he remembered just how serious this situation is. How stupid could he possibly have been to egg on his captors when he was _literally_ at their mercy, “I’ll… I’ll be quiet I swear, just- please don’t… _please_..?” He felt embarrassed at how pathetic his voice had suddenly become, “ _Please-_ ”

Once again, his words were ignored. It was as though he hadn’t spoken at all.

After the man’s work was done, he promptly mounted his horse, and the group headed off again in silence.

Tommy liked to think he was a big man. That he was capable of just as much as his big brothers or his father could. He had begged his entire childhood to learn how to fight, but he had only just recently been allowed to start training. He knew he wasn’t the most physically strong, It was undeniable that he was lacking in the muscle department. But one quality he had always valued in himself was his voice.

Tommy loved to talk. He could talk for hours and hours about nothing. He was good at being loud; at being heard. He could make people laugh, he could tell good stories, he could entertain a whole room with his commentary alone. His dad had told him many times that his boisterous laugh was contagious. His voice was his confidence, his weapon; He took comfort in the power of his voice.

He really should have kept his mouth shut this time, though. If he had, he would at least have some semblance of his dignity intact right now.

Tommy stared at the ground rushing by, trying to hold back the tears that pricked at the corners of his eyes. What was he supposed to do? How was he going to get out of this? Where the hell were they even going? Why was this happening in the first place?

Gods, he hoped his family was on their way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Speedran this in like an hour and a half at 3AM. Let me know if you spot any errors


	4. Honored Guest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy meets his gracious host

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS time i wrote the chapter at 4AM 👍

At some point Tommy must have zoned out, or perhaps he managed to actually fall asleep somehow. Either way, he snapped back into reality when the horse he was on skidded to a halt, followed by the dismounting of all the riders. It seemed that hours had passed, seeing as the sky was varying shades of pink, orange, and purple.

Sunset.

Had they really been travelling for a whole day? The thought occurred to him that it may have been longer than that, seeing as how he had been unconscious for an indeterminate amount of time. Tommy ignored that thought. 

He was caught a little off guard when he was roughly hauled off the horse by one of the masked men and thrown over his shoulder like he weighed nothing. They then started walking as a group towards a building that Tommy had yet to get a good look at. Wherever they had been taking him, it looked like they had arrived. 

None of the men spoke to Tommy, just as they hadn't the whole time. They never looked at him, they didn't even acknowledge his presence aside from hauling him around like cargo. It unnerved him, made him feel less than human somehow. These people behaved as though forcefully abducting him from his own bedroom was no big deal; as though his clear opposition to this situation was a non sequitur. The silence that hung in the air as they made their way through the building was deafening. 

The interior of the building was a bizarre combination of lavish architecture, but made incredibly badly. There were 'ornately' carved arches over doorways, but they were uneven and chipped and discolored. It was like someone wanted to build a castle, but didn't have the proper techniques to do so. There were dusty iron chandeliers lining the ceilings of nearly every corridor, and deep red tapestries on the walls with a golden apple symbol sewn into each of them .The whole place was was strangely dark and cold, with very few windows to let light in. 

Tommy was unable to get a full tour of the building unfortunately, as he was unceremoniously dumped onto the floor of a large room lined with poorly carved columns. He felt someone grip a handful of his hair and yank his head upwards, causing white hot pain to shoot through his scalp. He was now looking straight ahead at what appeared to be a throne. Tommy's eyes widened a little when he saw the figure sitting on it. 

Lounging on the throne was a man with large, ram-like horns protruding from his skull, curling around the fur covered ears that stuck out on either side of his head. The horns were adorned with various rings and golden chains. Sticking out from beneath his expensive looking clothing was a small tail. His eyes were an unnatural shade of gold with elongated pupils; even in the dark lighting, they seemed to glow. The man stood up, towering above Tommy with a sinister grin and let out a small chuckle. 

"Well hello there, Prince Thomas, I'm so glad you made it! I trust the journey here was pleasant?" His voice was powerful and rang with an authority that Tommy found a little intimidating. He paused for a moment to wait for a response that the prince could not give, and proceeded to laugh at the glare he received, "What was that? I didn't quite catch that, your highness."

Tommy grumbled with annoyance. This elicited another bout of laughter from the goat man. Hilarious. 

"Ahh, lighten up, Princey. I'm just having a little fun. Why don't we get to know each other a little better, hm? I don't believe I've introduced myself yet. My name is Schlatt, soon-to-be emperor of the Antarctic Empire, and your humble host," Schlatt punctuated his statement with an over the top bow and a voice absolutely dripping with sarcasm, "Now, why don't you tell me a bit about yourself?" he reached out and pulled the gag from Tommy's mouth.

"Fuck you." 

"Well that's not very nice. You ought to show me a bit more respect for allowing you into my home and showing such hospitality!" Schlatt feigned offense, clutching his chest dramatically, but maintaining a smug grin the whole time.

"You kidnapped me, you think I'm just gonna play along with this?? What the fuck is wrong with you?" Tommy snapped.

"Pfft, don't be so dramatic. It's nothing personal, alright? It's just business. You understand, don't you? They say to dress for the job you want... well I want to take over your country, and _you're_ going to help me achieve that! Your daddy is a powerful man, but I have a feeling he'd trade anything for his _precious_ baby boy" The satyr's tone was saccharine and patronizing. He patted the side of Tommy's face mockingly, smirking when the boy attempted to bite his hand and barely missed.

"You absolute fucking dickhead- You are going to get the SHIT beaten out of you. My father is smart enough to find me, and you'll be lucky if he doesn't mount your head on a stick. You think you're so tough shit, so why don't you untie me and let me take you down a couple notches? I'll bet even I could beat you to a pulp!" Tommy was fuming now, struggling against the ropes that kept him from lunging at the smug piece of shit in front of him.

"...No, I don't think I will. If the King wants to go behind my back and come for you, then let him. I'm a man of my word, and if I even hear a _whisper_ that he's planning a rescue then... well... I don't think it'll turn out all that well for you. But then again, I could be wrong, maybe you'd just be collateral damage to him. After all, he's still got two other sons, and those ones can actually fight, haha!" The goat man simply shrugs, "Either way, it doesn't really matter, I'm going to kill him no matter what. How else will I take his crown? I'll probably end up having to kill your brothers as well...they could prove to be an issue."

Tommy had heard enough. Something in him snapped and his anger overtook his fear, "YOU SON OF A BITCH! DON'T GO ANYWHERE NEAR MY FAMILY! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU! YOU HEAR? I'LL RIP OUT YOUR GODSDAMN SPINE AND-" 

"That's enough of that." Schlatt stated as he put the gag back in place, cutting of Tommy's string off vulgarities right there, "You know, for a member of the royal family, you have quite an unpleasant vocabulary. I expected much better manners from a prince." Suddenly, without warning, Schlatt's demeanor changed. He lunged forward and clutched Tommy's face with one hand, pulling it towards him. His sharp fingernails dug into his skin, and his voice darkened, "I suggest you watch your tongue, your highness, or I will remove it. I'm in charge here, and I won't hesitate to put you in your place. Unless you want to start losing body parts, I suggest you behave." He whispered.

Tommy nodded slowly, too caught off guard by Schlatt's outburst to do anything else. The Satyr seems satisfied with this, and released his face. He straightened up, and dusted himself off before heading back to his throne and plopping down on it. 

"Good. Now, I think that's enough for today, don't you? You must be exhausted from your long journey here," He said, before snapping his fingers to get the attention of the men who had brought Tommy to him. They had been standing silently the entire time, waiting for their cue, "Please show the prince to his accommodations, perhaps he'll be less cranky after a nice rest."

With that, Prince Tommy was hauled up from the floor, and dragged out of the room. 

Schlatt poured himself a glass of wine and sat back, pleased with himself. It seemed that the prince would be a bit harder to deal with than he hoped, but it was alright. So long as he didn't prove to be more trouble than he was worth, he was exactly what was needed to pull off their little coup, which reminded him-

He had another letter to write. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. JS was JSchlatt? what a surprise! who could have guessed? absolutely s h o c k i n g


	5. The Waiting Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wilbur, Techno, and Phil discuss their rescue options

3 days. It had been 3 days since the kingdom's youngest prince was abducted. To say the palace was tense since then would be an understatement. 

The king had increased security tenfold, especially on his sons. Though another attack was unlikely, he couldn't help but take precautions. Guards stood at every doorway, in every tower, and patrolled every corridor. The king himself was rarely seen, nor were the princes. They had spent most of their time either in the throne room discussing a plan, or in their bedrooms attempting to sleep but failing miserably. A feeling of dread and uncertainty seemed to have settled upon the whole building; the usually chipper gossiping servants we're somber and silent as they went about their daily routines. The boisterous laugh that frequently rang through the halls had vanished, leaving a noticeable emptiness in the air that no one could avoid. 

It was as though the castle staff were grieving a death that hadn't even happened yet. 

It tore Phil apart to sit around and not take action; he was certain that if he made any sudden moves, it would mean the death of Tommy. He had been holed up in the throne room with Wilbur and Techno for hours discussing more covert methods of rescue, but had come up empty handed. Every idea was far too risky for their comfort. 

"We're getting nowhere like this!" Wilbur exclaimed, rubbing his temples with frustration. Techno had just vetoed his latest idea, "We're just talking in circles, we need to think harder!" 

"Wilbur, we don't even know where they took him! How are we supposed to rescue him if we don't know where to look? We don't know _anything_ about the guy behind this, that's why I keep saying we should find out who he is first." The pink-haired twin replied.

"But how are we supposed to figure it out? 'JS' could stand for a million things- they might not even be initials!"

"It's the only lead we have, and I don't think we should attempt a rescue until we know who we're dealing with."

"Who knows how long that could take?! The more we sit around brainstorming, the longer Tommy is stuck there by himself! They might be hurting him or-"

"I want to get him back as much as you do!" Techno interrupted, "But we'll be putting him in more danger if we don't make _sure_ we're prepared." 

The twins paused when their father slammed his fist against the arm of his throne, a look of frustration on his face. He had fallen silent quite awhile ago, listening to his son's suggestions. He hadn't been able to take his eyes off the family portrait on one of the walls. It had been painted only a few weeks ago but it felt like years. The thought that this might be the last image of his son's face that he'd ever see wouldn't leave his mind. He wanted to bring him home _now,_ but that was impossible. The whole situation felt so impossible. 

"We don't have any real options, do we?" He finally spoke, "There's no way to get to him on our own terms is there? We're going to have to lie down and follow their demands, aren't we?" Phil wasn't sure if he was really asking his sons those questions, or if he was asking himself. 

There was another long pause before Techno replied, "I... I don't know. I want to say we should round up our armies and scour the land until we find him... but _,_ any action we could take would only lead to Tommy's death."

"Even if we do have to cooperate, we still have no clue what they even want... the letter didn't say." Wilbur reminded them.

"I'd gladly give all this nations' riches to have Tommy back home with us, they're worthless compared to him." Phil said with resignation. 

"So that's it then. We have to just sit here waiting and doing nothing while Tommy suffers gods know where..." Techno wasn't used to the idea of surrendering. He had never experienced a situation so hopeless that your only option was to lie down and take it; the very notion of giving in to some maniac left a sour taste in his mouth. But if putting his pride aside was what it took to get his baby brother back, he would do it, "That's the plan?"

Phil sighed. He didn't want to do this either, "That's the plan. For now, we wait." 

It must have been their lucky day, because the familiar screech of a messenger hawk rang out mere moments after the king had spoken. Despite the possibility that this hawk could have nothing to do with their situation, something inside the king just _knew_ he needed to open the window. He silently pleaded to whatever gods that might be listening; he hoped with all his soul that this message was about Tommy. Phil carefully took the note that was secured to the hawk's leg and unfolded it; Techno and Wilbur eagerly crowded behind him, desperate to know what was written.

They certainly weren't disappointed.

_To his majesty King Philza,_

_My apologies for taking so long to get back in contact, I hope I didn't worry you too much! I was a bit preoccupied with my favorite house guest._ _Prince Thomas is in good health, I assure you. Though, I must say, he lacks the proper manners I would expect in a prince... He has proven to be quite the spitfire during his stay._

_But that is neither here not there. I'm sure you would prefer that I finally tell you my demands, correct? Well, I think it would be more appropriate to discuss that in person. Forgive me your highness, but it's a rather personal matter and I'd like to keep it just between us._

_In three days time, I will send one of my men to you. He is going to guide you to the meeting location I've chosen, and you will follow him. You may bring weapons if that makes you feel more comfortable, but you must come alone. If you do not follow these instructions, your son will suffer the consequences._

_I trust you'll be on your best behavior. Remember, I'm in charge here._

_-JS_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a sucker for sarcastically polite bad guys, is that a weird niche?


	6. Lost in Thought

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy has some down time to think about his situation.   
> He also gets a visit from the last person he wants to see.

Tommy was finding it difficult to keep track of time. The lack of sunlight in his cell prevented him from knowing how long he had been in there. If he had to take a guess, he would say at least 2 days, but it could have been longer.

After his little chat with Schlatt, he had been dragged away and down several flights of stairs, where he was subsequently tossed into a small cell and left there. He must have laid on the floor for hours before a few guards came and finally, _finally_ untied him. Though he was immediately shackled to the wall, he could practically cry from the relief his muscles felt upon being released. The guards had also taken the stupid gag off before leaving in silence. Tommy was the most glad to see that thing go. 

He sat in the corner of his cell massaging the bruised, chafed skin of his ankles. The ropes he had been tied up with had been far too tight, and even dug into his skin so much that he had begun to bleed in some places. There wasn't much he could do for his wrists, seeing as a tight metal band was secured to each one; the shackles aggravated the skin underneath, causing pain any time he pulled on them too suddenly. Though his back and muscles ached from being held in the same position for so long, at least he was allowed more range of motion now. 

A couple pieces of stale bread and a small pitcher of water had been brought to the cell at some point, and Tommy was a bit embarrassed at how quickly he had devoured it. He was not accustomed to going so long without food or water, and had been at least a little bit grateful that his captors were at least giving him sustenance, little as it was. 

Every now and then Tommy would hear the footsteps of guards approaching. He had considered yelling insults at them, but that hadn't worked out so well last time, so he remained silent. Sometimes, he would overhear passing conversations and would try to listen in. Surprisingly, he was able to put together a little bit of information about where he was from what he heard. 

Apparently, the "castle" he was being held in was mostly underground. They had repurposed old mining tunnels by connecting and expanding them to make proper rooms and corridors. They had been ordered (presumably by their pretentious boss) to "spruce up the place" by adding the poorly crafted columns and arches he had seen everywhere. A small structure had been built above ground to act as an entrance. These people must have been here for a long time, which made Tommy wonder how long this whole government takeover plan had been in the works.

Schlatt was most definitely their leader, and apparently insisted on being called 'Emperor Schlatt'. The guards he had seen-and presumably the group who brought him here- all seemed to be some form of criminal or another. Thieves, conmen, killers... all of them were on the run from the law. Many of them had either broken out of prison and came across Schlatt themselves, or were encouraged by a friend to seek refuge with him.

Schlatt must have promised them all something- money, power, lack or consequences for their actions? Whatever it was, it was enough to make them all fiercely loyal to him; They talked about him like he was a deity of some kind. They were eager to follow his every command, to a frightening degree. 

Tommy wondered just how long this had been going on. Years? Decades? The amount of planning and preparedness that went into this operation... it made him nervous. 

There was no doubt in his mind that his country could win just about any war. Their military was massive, their economy was flourishing, and their sheer size was often enough to dissuade would-be warlords from picking a fight they could never win. There was no doubt in his mind that the Antarctic Empire had Schlatt outnumbered and outgunned by a massive amount. So why was Schlatt so confident in his plan? 

Tommy was pulled from his thoughts when he heard shuffling and an all to familiar chuckle outside his cell. 

Great. This should be fun. 

"How's it going, your highness?" Schlatt sneered.

"I'd be better if I wasn't being held against my will, asshole," Tommy muttered through gritted teeth.

"Aww, you wound me, Prince Thomas."

"Ugh, don't call me Thomas, I hate being called that"

Schlatt ignored him, "I just thought I'd come by to see how our guest of honor is faring. Are you comfortable? Can I get you some throw pillows? Maybe a serving of roast duck?" The man was leaning against the bars, absent-mindedly picking at his fingernails, but the subtlest of smiles adorned his face.

"Fuck off."

"Don't tell me you're still mad about the whole 'killing your dad and taking over your country' thing? Honestly, I thought that was water under the bridge. Bygones, you know?"

Before Tommy could stop himself, he was pulling against the chains kept him tethered close to the wall, "Go to _hell!"_ he hissed with every bit of venom he could muster. A bout of shrieking laughter echoed though the room.

"Sorry for laughing. It's just... You're trying to be threatening, but you're so weak and scrawny-" more laughter, "It's _adorable!"_ Schlatt wiped a fake tear from the corner of his eye, still chuckling.

Tommy had no response to that. He was glaring at the horned man, but his cheeks had turned bright red. He found himself bringing his knees up to his chest in an effort to feel smaller, wishing he could hide from the condescending golden eyes that bore into him. He was weak. 

"Aww, I'm sorry, did I hurt your feelings? Well, I think I may have some news that'll cheer you right up!" 

Tommy said nothing.

"Well, I'll have you know that I've scheduled a little meeting with His Highness in a few days. We're to discuss my price for your release... but I've decided to bring you with me!" The satyr jeered, voice sarcastically sweet.

This got Tommy's attention, "What?"

"That's right! In a couple of days, you and I are gonna go on a little day trip! Doesn't that sound like _fun?_ "

But that made no sense... why would Schlatt risk his whole plan by giving his father an opportunity to rescue him? Schlatt must have noticed his confused facial expression, because he continued to explain himself. 

"You see, I figured the king would appreciate seeing proof that you've been well taken care of during your time here. And I also thought he might need a more... visual reminder of what might happen if he doesn't follow instructions." His voice darkened as he spoke, drawing his finger across his neck to illustrate his point. He seemed amused by Tommy's still puzzled face and continued, "I have another reason, as well. Seeing as how you've been so _well behaved_ these past few days, I thought I'd reward you by generously letting you see your father one last time before I kill him. Consider it a 'thank you' for being so much help to my little project."

Generous. Was this supposed to be some kind of reward? Was Tommy supposed to thank him or something? His dad was going to be killed, his brothers too. Schlatt was going to use him as bait to kill his family... and then he was probably going to kill him too. His family was going to die and his people were going to suffer, all because of him. 

It was only when he felt something drip off his face that he realized he had begun to shed tears. Were they tears of fear? Anger? Grief? He didn't know. Tommy was staring at the ground, trying but failing to compose himself; he didn't want Schlatt to see that he was crying

Of course, the goat man noticed, he feigned shock at what he saw, "Oh, What's this? You must be crying tears of joy! Well, there's no need to thank me! I'm happy to-" 

Schlatt was cut off by an ear-splitting shriek that tore from Tommy's throat. Something in him had just broken; he was thrashing like an animal against his restraints, even though they dug into his skin and stung with every pull. He wailed and snarled incoherently at the man before him, wishing with all his might that he could wrap his fingers around the man's neck and just _squeeze._ Even Schlatt seemed to have been caught off-guard by the outburst, jumping back in surprise when the boy suddenly lunged at him; Though he quickly composed himself and smirked as he watched Tommy writhe desperately to get to him, tears in his eyes. 

Tommy continued to scream threats and obscenities for a few seconds longer until the pain in his wrists and his vocal chords forced him to stop. He slumped backwards in exhaustion, no longer bothering to try to hold back his tears; they were flowing freely from his eyes now, blurring his vision severely. He still saw the golden pinpricks that glowed in the darkness of this cell that stared at him. 

Schlatt said nothing for a minute, simply taking in the sight before him. He had never expected such a volatile reaction to his little taunts. He might feel bad if he wasn't so amused. He cleared his throat to get the attention of the blond boy in the cell, "Goodnight, Prince Thomas. Sleep well." was all he said before leaving his prisoner with only his thoughts to keep him company.

Tommy knew his family loved him. There was no doubt in his mind that he was loved. He knew that they'd cross a thousand oceans for him, and he would do the same for them. But it seemed that their love for each other would be their end. They would obey Schlatt's instructions without hesitation because they wanted him to be safe, but who would keep them safe? He couldn't help but feel at fault, despite knowing it was irrational. If he had just been better, if he had fought harder, he could have escaped. He was chosen as their target because he was weak, because he was easy. For all the threats and confident jabs he had taken at his enemies, he always knew that was all they really were. He was so pathetic, and useless, what a poor excuse for an Antarctic prince. 

Techno was an excellent swordsman; he moved with a swiftness and elegance that one might mistake for a beautiful dance. Techno was strong, he was fearless, and he had proven to be so capable that their father had granted him partial control of the military by the age of 17. He was in line to be the next king, and everyone knew their empire would be in good hands. 

Even Wilbur, who would rather play his instruments than pick up a sword, was a strong fighter. He was also well-read, and had a way with words that could inspire people to do anything. Wilbur was clever and intelligent. Their father said he'd make a wonderful ambassador and diplomat someday. He would serve his people well. 

Then there was Tommy. He had no muscles and no amazing skills to show off, He was just... Tommy. It had never bothered him before, he was perfectly happy to be himself; his family was happy for him to be himself too. But a piece of him-always in the back of his mind- knew that he would never be as accomplished as his brothers, he'd never be anything more that what he was. He had come to terms with that, but now... 

He'd never felt more useless in his life. 

He had to do something about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's Tommy gonna do?????


	7. Almost There

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy gets an idea of how to escape. This may or may not lead to further trauma.

Tommy spent the next day lost in thought.

There must be something he could do. There had to be a way to get out of this. Tommy knew if he didn't at least _try_ , Schlatt would win. Tommy might not be able to muscle his way to victory, but he could at least make it harder for his captors to succeed. 

So, the blonde began to brainstorm. 

First, he would have to get out of his cell somehow. That would be difficult, seeing as he couldn't even reach the door. Maybe he could trick one of the guards into taking the shackles off? No, surely they wouldn't be stupid enough to do that. 

Tommy tugged on the chains a little, wincing at the pain from his wounded wrists. They were a little rusty, but looked sturdy. If one of his brothers were in this situation, they could probably pull hard enough to break the chain, or at least pull it out of the wall. But try as he might, that would be impossible for him. Brute force wasn't an option here. 

He slumped back in frustration, his mind swarmed with ideas, but all of them required some semblance of physical strength, or a tool of some sort. He didn't have either of those. Gods, why did he have to be so damn skinny-

Wait a second. 

He looked at the shackles again, they were secured as tightly as they could go, but they were still a little loose around his wrists. They had clearly been made with someone larger in mind. Maybe... he could simply squeeze them off? He curled his thumb inward to make his hand as narrow as possible and pulled- like he was trying to get off a particularly stubborn bracelet. He pulled and pulled, managing to inch the metal band a few inches forward, but nothing more. No dice. 

Just as Tommy was about to give up on this idea, he remembered something his father had told him once when he was younger. He had gotten his hand stuck in a small hole in a fence, and couldn't get his hand free no matter how hard he tried.

His dad had taken a look, and said his hand was too wide to be pulled backwards through the opening. Tommy had begun to panic, crying that he'd have to stay there forever or cut off his hand to escape. His father laughed, and told him to curl his thumb onto his palm, then hold onto it with his other fingers. He then instructed him to take a deep breath, and snap his wrist to the side, effectively stretching this thumb beyond it's limit and dislocating it. He had heard a pop, and was immediately overwhelmed with pain shooting down his arm. He had cried even more, of course, but was able to pull his hand out of the hole. His dad immediately helped get his thumb back in place, and gave him a big hug, apologizing for not warning him about the pain, but hoped he'd learned his lesson about sticking his hands in random holes. 

Tommy chuckled a little at the memory, grateful for once that he had been so stupid as a child.

After a few deep breaths, he bit his lip in anticipation, curling his fingers around his bent thumb just as he had when he was young. He counted to three and-

_POP_

It was done. He choked back the tears that pricked as his eyes, trying with all of his might not to cry out in pain. Quickly, he went to work pulling the metal band off again, this time, managing to squeeze it off just barely. The shackle fell to the floor with a dull yet satisfying thud. 

He quickly snapped his thumb into place, letting out the breath he had been holding in. If he remembered correctly, his hands would be sore for awhile. Now, there was the other hand to deal with. 

After giving himself a few minutes to recover, he repeated the process with his other wrist, sliding the shackle off with moderate effort. 

They were off; he had gotten them off all by himself. Not too shabby. Now there was the matter of this pesky cell door in his way. 

Tommy contemplated trying to squeeze through the bars, but even he wasn't skinny enough for that; there weren't any gaps large enough to slip through. He began to pace around the cell, pondering possible escape routes. He eventually came to the conclusion that he could only get out if someone opened the door, but none of the guards had a reason to enter his cell. If he could just get someone to open the door, he could make a break for it. 

Then, a thought occurred to him: They needed him alive. If something happened to him before Schlatt went to meet with the king, their whole plan could be in jeopardy. Perhaps if he pretended to be sick, a guard would come to his aid. 

Yeah, that could actually work! 

The next time he heard a single set of footsteps approaching, he set his plan into motion. Curled up into a ball in the corner of the cell, he began to cough; imitating the way Wilbur had sounded when he had gotten pneumonia a few years go. He hacked and sputtered, clutching his chest desperately. He wretched as though he might vomit at any moment. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the guard had stopped walking and was observing him nervously. It was working.

Tommy upped the drama, and began clawing at his throat and gasping for air. He slumped over and writhed in 'agony', staring at the guard with wide, 'fear-filled' eyes. The guard started to really panic when the prince rolled over and stopped moving.

He clumsily reached for the key that hung on a nearby wall and struggled to get unlock the door. He rushed in muttering curses under his breath, and placed a ginger hand on the shoulder of the boy that lay motionless before him. As soon as the guard started trying to turn him over, Tommy's grip tightened on the chains he had been clutching underneath him. 

The prince snapped into action before the guard even had the chance to react. He quickly rolled away and sprung to his feet with the chain in hand, circling around the man at top speed. He had observed Technoblade evade his enemies this way many times, though his brother did it with more grace. Without missing a beat, Tommy hooked the chain around the guard's neck and _pulled._

The man grasped at his neck in surprise, but was unable to make any sounds other that the quiet chokes that escaped him. He flailed and clawed in an attempt to reach the boy behind him, but Tommy didn't let up. After a few seconds, He stumbled to the floor with the princes foot firmly pressing down on his back, using him as an anchor to pull the chain even tighter around his throat. 

Tommy didn't release the chain until the guard stopped moving, which only took a minute or so. He knew the man was only unconscious due to the lack of oxygen, and he would have liked to stay and finish the job, but time was of the essence. He needed to go. 

Without a word, he slipped out the open cell door and fled, latching the door behind him. A smirk spread across the boy's face as he ran. He had done it! He had gotten out of the cell and now there was nothing stopping him getting out of this whole place!

That pride was short lived, as he darted past several other guards that were standing in the hallway. They immediately gave chase, yelling to anyone nearby that their hostage was on the loose. 

_Just run._ He told himself. _Just keep moving, you'll find an exit eventually but you have to keep going. DON'T STOP RUNNING._

Luckily, he remembered which directions he had been dragged to get down here, and quickly clambered up the stairs that he knew led to the uppermost level. Once at the top, he weaved and swerved through corridors in an effort to confuse the men chasing him. The ever-growing group of guards struggled to keep him in their sights. Had the situation not been so serious, Tommy might have found it comical. 

Adrenaline was pumping through his veins, giving him the boost he needed to keep moving. He turned a corner only to be met with a guard blocking his path; with no time to consider his options, Tommy ran towards him, diving forward at the last second and sliding right between the man's legs, barely avoiding the hands that swiped at him. He clambered to his feet and kept going, ignoring the burning in his calves and lungs. 

Then he saw it. Sunlight. It was peeking through the few small windows he passed. 

He knew where he was! He remembered being taken through here when they arrived, the exit was close! He just needed to go left and-

Yes! The door was right there, he was home free! He just needed to go a little further and then he'd be out, he could find his way back home; stop whatever sinister deal Schlatt had in store with his father. He could see his brothers again and sleep in a real bed and eat real food. He was almost there! 

With his pursuers hot on his tail, Tommy gathered up every drop of energy he could possibly muster and made a mad sprint for the exit, and threw open the door to freedom- having just barely felt the warmth of the sun on his face when a large hand grasped the back of his shirt and pulled.

_No no no no NOO-_

He stumbled backwards and was immediately tackled by the crowd of guards that had now caught up to him. 

_NONONONONONONO!_

He kicked and flailed with all his might. He scratched and bit and shrieked and fought against the hands that dragged him away from the door, but the adrenaline was already fading away and he was quickly losing the energy it granted. He was pinned to the ground and held firmly in place by the multiple adults around him. His face was pressed against the floor, making it harder to breathe. They would not let up until he stopped struggling from sheer exhaustion. 

He almost made it. 

When he finally calmed down, he was hauled to his feet and dragged straight to Schlatt's little throne room, where the satyr lounged on his makeshift throne lazily. 

"Well this is certainly a surprise. What happened?" He was speaking to the guards. 

The one who was holding onto Tommy with a suffocating bear-hug answered, "He got out of his cell. Nearly made it out the door... but we got him."

Schlatt took in this information for a moment, staring at his prisoner with an unreadable expression. He hummed to himself as if deciding exactly how to respond. Tommy felt himself tensing up when the horned man made his way towards him and leaned over so they were at eye-level. 

"Interesting. I expected he might try something but I never imagined he would get that far..." He was looking straight into Tommy's soul, "Perhaps I underestimated him a little."

"What should we do with him, Emperor Schlatt?" Someone asked.

"Hmm... he must have left his cell because he was lonely, isn't that right, Prince Thomas? You wouldn't just leave without saying goodbye, right?" A sinister grin was visible on Schlatt's face, he was using that same saccharine tone again, but this time, there was a tinge of anger in it. 

Tommy said nothing. He simply scowled at the maniac before him, doing his best to hide the fact that he was trembling. 

"I mean, after all the kindness I've shown you, you wouldn't leave before our work is done, surely." He sneered, "Certainly not. His highness must have simply been bored all alone down there! Well, it's clear to me now that someone needs to watch over him from now on." The satyr's tone darkened much in the same way it had the first time they met, there was clear malice in his eyes now, "do we have any more of those sleeping potions?" 

"W-wait- What?" Tommy blurted out before he could stop himself.

The guards nodded, and Schlatt chuckled, "Bring me one." The guards obeyed, all but the one restraining Tommy hurried off to find what was requested. 

"Wait... are you serious? You're really gonna-"

"Let me make something clear, kid" Schlatt interrupted, "I have spent far too long putting this together for some scrawny royal brat to ruin it. Since you refuse to behave, I'm afraid I'll have to take further measures to ensure that you don't go anywhere. So, for the remainder of your stay, you will be under _my_ constant watch. You are going to sit right there," he gestures to the ground next to his throne, "And you aren't moving until we meet with the king. But since you seem to be in such a disrespectful mood today, you're going to take a little nap like the child that you are. Perhaps next time you'll think twice before crossing me." 

Tommy was stunned. He had no response to that. They were going to give him that same potion they used to bring him here in the first place. Schlatt was going to make sure that he couldn't even _try_ to escape again, and he was going to lose precious time because of it. He wanted to get away, he needed to _get away._ But there was nothing he could do, he had no choice here. He had never been so terrified in his life. 

He pleaded with Schlatt like a pathetic child when the other guards returned, bottle in hand. He promised that he wouldn't try to escape again, that he wouldn't cause trouble; But the goat had only laughed and mocked his broken sounding voice. He begged with tears in his eyes as Schlatt unscrewed the bottle. Immediately, he was thrown back to that night, when he had been taken away from everything he loved and no one heard his cried for help. He started thrashing around in vain when the shimmering liquid was poured onto a scrap of linen. He tried to scream when he was forced to breathe in the potion's fumes, desperately gasping for oxygen when there was none. He held out for as long as he could, unable to avoid the glowing golden eyes that watched him slip away. 

The last thing he heard before everything went black, was a fit of cruel laughter followed by a condescending, "Sleep tight."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He almost made it out guys, he was almost there :( 
> 
> Schlatt is one cruel bitch isn't he?


	8. Preparing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> King Philza prepares for his upcoming meeting to discuss Tommy's safe return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 chapters in one day?? POGGERS
> 
> I was emotionally destroyed from today's streams so I stress-wrote this whole chapter just to make myself feel better

The meeting was tomorrow.

Phil had been trying to pass the time as best he could, but nothing was able to distract him enough. The best he think he could do was wait it out, and try to prepare himself for what sort of trickery he would definitely be facing.

The last note mentioned that he was allowed to bring weapons, which was certainly odd, but mostly concerning. Phil was getting more and more worried the more he thought about it... would he need a weapon? Surely this 'JS' person wouldn't give him a heads-up of they planned on attacking him, right? Maybe it was a sign of good faith? Whatever the reasoning, it was imperative that he keep his guard up. 

Hopefully, this whole ordeal was about money and nothing more; Phil would happily provide and amount of gold and emeralds for his son's safe return, could ever be more precious to him than his family. 

Phil was in Tommy's room, sitting on the edge of the bed. His eyes were drawn to an old stuffed toy sitting on a shelf gathering dust, it was a little brown cow. Phil remembered giving that toy to Tommy when he was 4, and his son decided to call it 'Henry'. Phil picked up the toy and absentmindedly ran his fingers along the well-loved seams, remembering all the times Tommy would insist on bringing it everywhere he went. He loved that thing... couldn't sleep without it for the longest time, until he decided he was 'too big a man' to sleep with stuffed animals. It seemed that even years later, he still hadn't had the heart to get rid of it.

Tommy had grown up a lot since then... But he was still so young. If anything happened to him, Phil swore that he'd rip the perpetrators limb from limb; He would not let anything happen to his boy, ever. 

"Lost in thought?" came a soft voice from behind, it was Wilbur, "Are you worried about tomorrow?" he asked. 

"Of course," Phil said as he returned Henry to his spot on the shelf, "I have no idea what's going to happen, or what type or ransom they'll even ask for... I don't know if I'll be able to restrain myself when I see them."

"Yeah..." Wilbur said quietly. He plopped onto the bed next to his father, they looked at each other with tired eyes, "How do you think he's doing?" the brunette eventually asked. 

"Mmm," Phil wondered, "Tommy is strong. He's a lot stronger than he ever gives himself credit for-he's stubborn, like you."

"I am _not_ stubborn!"

"You most certainly are, Wil," Phil said, managing a small chuckle, the first one in days. He reached over and ruffled his son's hair affectionately, who swatted his hand away playfully. Wilbur was smiling too. 

"Fine. Maybe a little.." Wilbur conceded. The two fell into a brief silence for a moment. 

"Tommy will be okay until we get to him. He has to be," Phil firmly stated, placing a reassuring hand on Wilbur's shoulder. They both knew there was a real possibility that that wasn't true, but what else could they do?

"...Is there anything Techno and I can do tomorrow?" Wil asked. It was clear that he worried for his father's safety and wished he could go with him to the meeting, but they had agreed that wasn't a good idea. 

Phil sighed, "You both should just be vigilant, and keep an eye out for anything suspicious. I'm leaving you two in charge while I'm gone."

"But what if something happens? What should we do if you take too long to come back? Are you sure it's safe for you to go alone?" Wilbur already knew the answers to all those questions. 

"I need you both here in case things get intense, got it? We have to keep our people safe too... and you and Techno are the only one's I'd trust to lead the Empire, alright?" Phil didn't like implying that things could end badly for him, but the bad feeling in his chest wouldn't go away. He needed to ensure that his kingdom would be in good hands if worse came to worse. 

"...Okay, dad." Was all his son said before leaving the room. 

King Philza returned to his duties, and went about the rest of his evening like normal. He carried himself with the same strength and regality that he always had. If one didn't know better, they might think nothing was bothering him at all. However, the twisting pit in his stomach had not left him since the moment he learned of his son's abduction.

He walked through the hallways on his way to his own bedroom, and heard the clashing of swords out in the courtyard. Technoblade was furiously sparring with the guards and squires again- the pink-haired prince seemed to cope that way. Phil walked a little farther and heard the somber strumming of a guitar, accompanied by a gentle hum. Wil must be trying to write a new song. 

But despite the noises, the palace felt painfully quiet. 

\----

The next day arrived, and the castle was already prepared for the arrival of the king's escort. The royal guard was ordered to keep an eye out but not to attack. The princes were positioned at different guard towers, keeping an eye on their father, who was waiting on his horse at the castle gates. 

The king was well equipped, to say the least. He had a crossbow, his sword, and multiple smaller blades tucked away in various hiding spots. He wore his royal suit of armor, which had been enchanted to withstand more intense attacks. On his belt, Phil had several potions, just in case he needed to make a quick exit. He knew this meeting would be dangerous, and that there was likely some trick being played here, but he was well prepared. 

Luckily, Phil didn't have to wait out there for too long, because a single horse was approaching. The rider wore a black mask that obscured his face; this was definitely their guy. He slowed to a stop by the gates, holding out a small piece of paper to the king. There was a brief message written on it; 

_To his majesty King Philza,_

_I'm glad you're willing to join us! We have much to discuss today._

_Don't keep me waiting._

_~JS_

How charming.

Phil exchanged a nod with the messenger, who beckoned him to follow. After a confident wave to his sons, King Philza rode away, soon slipping out of sight beyond the horizon. He followed the masked man silently, keeping his eyes and ears trained for any unusual sounds, but there was nothing. They eventually entered a dense forested area with very few pathways. After a good while of travelling, he was led to the edge of a small clearing, where the messenger stopped and dismounted his horse. Phil did the same, doing his best to quell his growing nerves. The horses were secured to branches before the two figures ventured forward into the clearing. 

There- right in the middle of the woods- was a long wooden table with a chair on either end.

What the fuck? How- _why_ would anyone put this here?

Phil didn't have time to think about that, because a man was standing at the far end of the table looking straight at him with a pleasant smile. The man had goat-like features, horns and all, but he was very well dressed.

The man was the first one to speak, "Welcome, your majesty! I'm so glad you could make it... should we get started?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn, Schlatt. Lugging a whole ass dining table into the middle of the woods just so your meeting has dramatic flair? What a smug asshole. 
> 
> How do you think the meeting is gonna go?


	9. The Meeting: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The meeting begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally going to be one chapter, but I got a little tired. So I've decided to break it into multiple parts. There'll probably be 2, possibly 3 depending on how spicy things go

"Welcome, your majesty! I'm so glad you could make it... should we get started?" 

This was unexpected. 

Phil had gone through all the possibilities he could think of to prepare himself for this. He expected a group of thugs to be waiting for him with crossbows in hand, not... this. The ram man stood on his side of the table, tall and dignified. He was very well dressed, he would almost look like nobility if it wasn't obvious he was trying too hard. 

The king said nothing, he only nodded. 

"Excellent. I suppose I should introduce myself... my name is Schlatt. It's a pleasure to meet you-"

"You have my son." Phil interrupted. 

"Ahhh, yes- I guess we should just get right down to business then. You're an efficient man, I like it!"

Phil was distracted by something behind Schlatt. There was a chair behind the goat man, which he had yet to actually sit on. Perhaps that was because the chair was facing completely backwards. Schlatt made no movement to indicate that he intended to turn it around, which was odd on it's own; But Phil was certain he heard a strange noise coming from that direction a moment ago. It had been very quiet, barely audible, but the king's ears were alert- and he knew he heard _something._

Schlatt seemed to have noticed Phil staring at the chair, and not-so-subtly stepped in front of it, further obstructing it from view, "If you'll just have a seat, we can begin our little negotiations, hm?"

"I'm happy to stand." Phil said firmly, giving the satyr a look of warning that said ' _don't push it'_

"Of course! Of course! Whatever you like, your majesty... anything to make you feel at ease." Schlatt assured, "Now, I'm sure you've been rather on edge these last several days, and I hope we can come to an understanding that will put this whole ordeal to rest." His tone was anything but genuine. 

Phil was already beginning to grow impatient of this whole setup, it was taking quite a bit of effort to remain diplomatic, "Cut the formal bullshit. Where is Tommy?" His voice rang with the authority of a king. 

Schlatt paused for a moment, but rather than looking intimidated, he was smiling, "I had hoped you'd say that."

What was that supposed to mean? 

"You see, I figured you'd be pretty worked up over this... so I brought a little... sign of goodwill." Schlatt turned to the backwards chair behind him, and in one swift motion, he whirled it around so it faced forward again. That wasn't what caught Phil off-guard though; It was what was _on_ the chair that stopped him dead in his tracks.

It was Tommy. It was his son.

He was bound at the wrists. A blindfold covered his eyes and a gag covered his mouth. His hair was dirty, as were his clothes, which had been torn in many places. The thing that set Phil's blood boiling was the fact that his skin was dotted with small bruises and scrapes. 

"TOMMY?" He called. On instinct, he started stepping closer to where he sat on the far end of the table. He needed to get to him, he needed to make sure he was alright.

"Not so fast!" In a split second, Schlatt produced a small blade from his sleeve- which he promptly held against the boy's neck, which caused a startled squeak to come from the prince.

Without thinking, the king drew his sword and pointed it at the man who dared to threaten his son. The satyr didn't back down, but instead pressed the dagger further against Tommy's throat. Phil froze, slowly lowering his sword and returning it to it's sheath. He couldn't take a risk that great. 

"Ah ah ah, careful now, your majesty. You wouldn't want to startle me... my hand could slip, and I'm sure we wouldn't want that." He sneered, "You'd have travelled all this way for nothing! I just wanted to assure you that I've been true to my word."

"You said he wouldn't be harmed!" Phil shouted.

"And he hasn't been."

"Bullshit. He's covered in cuts and bruises!"

"Oh, that. I'm afraid Prince Thomas had a bit of an incident the other day. He managed to nearly slip away and I'm afraid my men had to rough him up a little to take him down, it was out of my control," Schlatt shrugged, "besides, It wasn't that bad, right, Princey?" he gave Tommy a condescending pat on the head. 

"Don't touch him." Phil bellowed, his hands tingled with the urge to grab his sword, but he resisted. 

"I'm afraid you're not the one in charge here, sir. I suggest you quit ordering me around." 

Fuck. What was Phil supposed to do? Tommy was right there, just several feet away. He was _so close-_ just barely out of arms reach, but he couldn't get to him. He had initially thought it a fool's move for one to bring their hostage with them to negotiate a ransom, but the sudden sight of him had caught him off-guard, sent him into attack mode. Now his thoughts were all over the place, he felt as though he'd received a solid punch in the gut. He could focus on nothing but the teenager in front of him. 

Tommy hadn't made much noise thus far. He was (understandably) very tense, leaning ever so slightly away from Schlatt with beads of sweat visible on his forehead. The rapid rising and falling of his chest coupled with the subtle shaking of his knees indicated to Phil that he was very, very afraid. 

"HEY!" Schlatt's voice snapped Phil's attention back to him, "look at me, not him, got it?"

Phil nodded.

"Good, good... wonderful. Well! Now that you've seen that the kid is in good health, let's get bargaining!" The goat man once again gestured for the king to take a seat on his end of the table. This time, Phil begrudgingly complied- making sure to keep his eyes trained on Schlatt. 

"What do you want? Is it gold? Emeralds? Name your price and it's done."

"I'm not interested in money."

"What? What do you mean?" Phil was surprised. What else could this maniac possibly want?

"I don't want gold or jewels, your majesty. I could get those anywhere if I wanted. No. What I want, is something only _you_ can give. It's actually rather small, really. Just one simple, single little thing."

'Well, what is it?"

"Your crown." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh no


	10. The Meeting: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phil is given an ultimatum. 
> 
> Does he make the king's choice, or the father's choice?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up, the next part will be a recounting of the last two chapters, but from Tommy's perspective :)

"You heard me. I want your crown." Schlatt repeated himself. 

His crown? Why? If gold and gems wasn't what he wanted, why would he just ask for his crown? Phil supposed it didn't matter, he would gladly give it up. Slowly, he reached up to remove the emerald-adorned headband that he always wore. An amused snicker was heard from across the table. 

"Oh no no no, you misunderstand. I didn't mean your actual, physical crown- well, I suppose I did in a sense. What I should have said was 'I want your crown... and _everything_ that comes with it'"

As soon as the words left Schlatt's mouth, Tommy immediately started struggling. He was frantically trying to speak, seeming no longer concerned with the dagger that was still held against his throat; he was shaking his head from side to side, clearly communicating the message of _no._ He was visibly upset, and Phil knew exactly why. 

Schlatt wanted their kingdom. He wanted to take over their entire country. This was so much bigger than asking for ransom money, no- this was a plot to overthrow his entire rule. Their entire empire... traded for the life of one single person; The livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of citizens in exchange for his son. Tommy was telling him not to do it.

"Well, what's it going to be, King Philza?" Schlatt asked as he struggled to keep Tommy still. He leaned over and whispered something into the prince's ear that immediately quelled his protests before returning his attention to the king. 

Phil was stunned. How on earth was he meant to respond to this? He was absolutely speechless. One might think that this decision would be easy, the answer would be obvious to any observer! The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few; he was a king, and had a duty to protect his people first and foremost. He couldn't simply trade his entire nation away for one kid. 

But Tommy wasn't just a random boy, he was his _son._ His youngest son who he'd strove to protect since he was born. Tommy was a bright young man with golden blonde hair and bright blue eyes and a fiery spirit. Tommy was the light of their family- nothing had been the same since he was gone. No one laughed or smiled or joked, everyone was sullen and glum. Their whole castle seemed duller; it simply wasn't home without Tommy. How could Phil possibly doom him to die like this? 

As a king, the choice was obvious; but as a _father,_ it was painfully impossible. 

And Schlatt knew that. 

"I'm waiting!" The satyr spoke up, "I don't have all day, your majesty."

"...You're insane. I don't even know what to say-" was all Phil managed to respond with. It was as though the wind had been knocked out of him, he was at a total loss. The shock of Schlatt's request had still not worn off yet, "You want to take over my kingdom?"

"Ah, it's exactly as I thought. You really are _weak."_ Schlatt spat, "A king with any real dignity would have killed me where I stood for even daring to insult him like this. But you won't, because you don't want _him_ to get hurt. I bet if I asked, you'd get on your knees and beg for his life! Your people hail you as a strong, mighty ruler, but all I see is a spineless sap whose willing to do whatever I say- all it took was a few threats. You would seriously consider my little deal? The greatest empire on the continent is worth less to you than this brat? HA!"

"He's my son!" Phil shouted, no longer able to compose himself, "My family means more to me than anything, of course I wouldn't risk you hurting him!" 

Schlatt laughed, "That is precisely the problem. Your love for your family weakens you!" with his free hand, Schlatt grabbed Tommy's chin, forcefully turning his head to face Phil, "Your children are nothing but liabilities, at least your other two serve some purpose. But _this one,"_ he grips Tommy's face harder, "is nothing but a useless crack in what should be an breakable monarchy."

The anger that Phil had been repressing for the past several days was beginning to boil to the surface. The audacity of this man to call his family weaknesses. What would even be the point of living if one did not allow people into their life that brightened it? Since the day he became a father, his life had been brighter. Each day was beautiful and memorable because his sons made them that way. He had watched them grow and learn and change over the years, and he loved them more than words could possibly express. He didn't value his children because they could 'serve' him, he valued them because they gave his life meaning by simply being in it. Having room in his heart to care about more than just power was _not_ a weakness, it was a strength. 

Schlatt wanted to see a strong king? Phil would show him one.

He stood from his chair and slammed the table with his fists, "I have been patient and compliant with you for far too long, Schlatt. You have insulted the Antarctic Empire and you have insulted me, I demand you return my son, Prince Tommy, to me at once." Phil's voice boomed and echoed throughout the clearing. He was using what his sons always referred to as 'the royal voice', "A threat to his life is a threat to the entire empire. If so much as one single drop of his blood is shed, you will suffer a fate worse than death by my hand."

"I'm afraid that's not how this is going to work," Schlatt's voice was snide as ever, but it wavered with a subtle nervousness that he'd yet to show thus far. He promptly hauled Tommy to his feet and pulled him close to his side, making sure his blade remained firmly to his neck. The satyr and his hostage began to slowly step backwards, away from Phil, "You can use your big words all you like, but if you haven't noticed, I've still got the upper hand!"

Phil took a step forward, determination in his eyes.

"Perhaps I haven't been clear enough on my intensions here. I am _going_ to take over the Antarctic Empire, whether you cooperate or not. I was willing to let you live if you simply gave up peacefully, but if you wont... I'll simply have one of my men pull your crown off of your corpse!"

Phil heard a clicking noise from behind a nearby bush, then another from behind a tree, and another from the other from directly behind him. He had heard that sound many times.

The sound of dozens of crossbows being loaded. 

He had become distracted speaking to Schlatt that he had stopped paying attention to the sounds around them. He was too focused on Tommy and hadn't noticed the several dozen masked men that were now aiming their weapons at him, obscured by the forest flora. 

King Philza drew his sword once more.

"I said you had to come alone, but I certainly didn't! I can hardly believe the king himself actually stooped low enough to come without protection! You must have really wanted this kid back, huh?" Schlatt jeered, ruffling Tommy's hair with the sleaziest of grins, "You came to save Prince Thomas... who will save you?"

"Oh, believe me, I can take care of myself," Phil bellowed.

"Perhaps. But can your palace protect itself in your absence?" 

"What?"

"Your palace is well fortified, but I believe my men have more than proven that they can get past your walls. You may have upped security, but I doubt your royal guard will be able to hold out for long against the sheer amount of soldiers I've sent- you'd be surprised how great our numbers are. You didn't expect an invasion to happen, so you didn't call in extra forces, did you? Your military is nowhere near close enough to come to their aid before it's too late. They'll fight well, but they won't win; they simply won't be prepared!" Schlatt was just taunting him now. Was he bluffing? 

"I think you've been severely underestimating my family. You've never met Techno and Wilbur, I have faith that they can handle it."

"Are you sure? It's just that I've been hearing through the grapevine that his majesty King Philza and the princes haven't been sleeping all that well lately... you know what fatigue can do to your reaction time?" the goat man laughed with a shrug, finally releasing his hold on Tommy for a second. He hooked his fingers around the rope that bound his wrists in front of him and started leading him further back into the forest; too far for Phil to reach them without getting filled with arrows, "I told my men to take them out first."

Tommy let out what sounded like a sob; he stumbled along where Schlatt was guiding him, feet barely avoiding tripping on the uneven ground. He was trying to dig his heels into the dirt and tug his hands out of Schlatt's grip, but he achieved very little. It was evident in his body language that he was panicking, which was understandable, having heard that his brothers were going to be assassinated at any moment, if they hadn't already been. Schlatt only laughed at him. 

Phil hadn't moved an inch yet, too aware of the weapons trained right at him. It was tearing him up inside not to pull out his own crossbow and shoot the horned bastard that was leaving with Tommy, but at least the further they went, the safer he would be from the impending arrow fire. He had a plan- he was certain it could work if he moved fast enough; he could get Tommy afterwards, he was no use to his son dead. His hand hovered over one of the potion bottles on his belt, ready to grab it at the drop of a hat. 

Schlatt stopped walking, presumably because he felt he was a safe distance away, and turned Tommy around to face Phil's direction again, "How does it feel knowing you'll die in front of your son?" He called out, meeting Phil's icy glare with a smug grin. He put an arm on Tommy's shoulder and leaned on him as though they were good pals. The goat man cleared his throat, gave Phil a little wink, and-

"Shoot him dead."

The click of triggers being pulled was immediately heard all around Phil, who didn't hesitate to yank the potion from his belt as he dove forward into a barrel roll to avoid the majority of the arrows. 

Just before he smashed the potion on the ground, the only sound that filled his ears was the muffled, but still blood-curdling shriek of devastation that came from his son. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Tommy, he thinks his dad just got filled with arrows :(((
> 
> Don't worry though, Philza Minecraft has plan and Schlatt's minutes are numbered


	11. The Meeting: Part 2.5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy has no idea where he is. With one of his most important senses out of commission, he can only listen to the disastrous scenario unfold in front of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The meeting from Tommy's pov! Much angstier I think  
> Towards the end of the chapter, the dialogue gets a little disjointed and skips ahead in multiple places. It's meant to be only what Tommy can hear clearly, so sometimes only bits and pieces of what was actually said will be missing. 
> 
> I also really didn't want to just rewrite dialogue from the last two chapters word-for-word... I feel like that would be boring and redundant to read

It's a strange thing, opening your eyes and not being able to see. 

Tommy's consciousness returned to him slowly, just as it had the first time. It took him several seconds to realize that something was wrong; that he couldn't fucking see. He reached up to rub his eyes, hoping to clear away whatever was blocking his vision, but found that he couldn't. His wrists were tied to something in front of him and wouldn't come loose no matter how hard he pulled. He felt a slight pressure around his head that confirmed his worst suspicions. He was blindfolded.

It was then that the memories of what happened to put him here slotted back into place. 

He had almost escaped this hellhole. He had just barely crossed the door's threshold when he was tackled, and dragged kicking and screaming back to Schlatt's feet. Schlatt wasn't happy with Tommy's attempt at freedom, so he had been forcefully given another one of those damn potions that made him fall asleep. Tommy remembered the sheer terror he had felt when Schlatt told him what he was about to do. The last thing he had seen before passing out were those piercing golden eyes that stared at him with cruel amusement. How long had he been out this time? 

"Oh, good! You're waking up," Came a familiar condescending voice from above Tommy's right side. It sounded uncomfortably close, "I may have overdone it with that potion... you've been out for longer than I initially intended, sorry," He most certainly wasn't sorry, "I was beginning to think you'd sleep through the big day!" 

Tommy went to call him a bitch, but found that he couldn't do that either. Of course, they had gagged him again. Schlatt was free to yammer on as much as he pleased, free to insult and taunt him in that false saccharine tone that grated on his ears; and he could do nothing but listen. This, Tommy decided, was so much fucking worse than being unconscious. He figured they must be in Schlatt's throne room, guessing that his wrists were tied to the leg of his throne. He was on the floor, just as Schlatt said he would be.

"It's no big deal though, right?" Schlatt continued, " at least I enjoyed some peace and quiet these past couple days."

Wait... _DAYS?_

Holy shit. Was he joking? That couldn't be right... If it had been multiple days then that meant-

"Lucky for us, you woke up just before we leave for the meeting with your father! I'm glad we don't have to drag you there... your presence would have much less _u_ _mph_ if you were unconscious for the whole thing... I'm glad it all worked out, though." the satyr was just rambling now. He sounded slightly intoxicated, and the occasional sipping noise between sentences confirmed this.

The meeting was today. Fuck, Tommy had lost so much precious time! A feeling of dread had settled in his stomach, with an impending sense of doom that was hovering all around him. This was the big payoff of Schlatt's whole plan... and given how well planned out everything had been thus far, there was no doubt in his mind that this would end in disaster. Gods, he wished he could spit in that goat's face right now. 

"Sorry about the whole... _that..._ by the way," Tommy assumed he was referring to the degrading blindfold and gag they had put on him, "I just can't have you interrupting our discussions later on today, it's important grown up stuff. And, well, remember when I told you I felt generous enough to let you see your father one last time? Well, after that stunt you pulled the other day... I thought it only fair that you lose that privilege. Wouldn't you agree that that sounds reasonable, Prince Thomas?" 

Tommy growled. The absolute _gall_ of this asshole to punish him like this for trying to get away from him. 'Privilege', what a joke. Was he just doing this for fun? Did he enjoy talking down to him as if he were a child like this? Did humiliating his prisoner, who had no means of fighting back, bring him joy? This was all about power, wasn't it? Schlatt just liked having control, of course he found this entertaining. He couldn't use the Antarctic Empire as his personal playground yet, so he was making do by toying with Tommy. What havoc would this man possibly wreak once he got his slimy hands on their kingdom? 

"Ah, don't be so sour about it, your highness," Schlatt reached over and ruffled Tommy's hair, chuckling at the way he leaned away from his touch with a reddening face, "Chin up! We've got a big day ahead of us." 

Just then a set of footsteps entered the room, presumably a guard, "Emperor Schlatt, we've gotten word that everything is ready at the location you've chosen. We've already sent a man to escort the king, like you asked," He said. 

"Perfect timing! I was just telling the prince about how much fun I'm going to have! Well, I guess we should get a move on then, wouldn't want to keep his majesty waiting," Schlatt could be heard standing up from his throne, he snapped his fingers and the guard immediately began shuffling forward. 

"Yes sir!"

\------

Tommy had been detached from the side of Schlatt's throne and dragged outside, where he was hauled onto the back of a horse. Luckily, this time he actually got to sit, but a firm grip was held on him as the horses set off. 

They rode for a good long while before slowing to a stop and dismounting. Tommy was led by the wrists through what he guessed was some sort of wooded area. The crunch of the dirt beneath his feet, rustling of leaves in the breeze, and the distant chattering of various forest creatures confirmed this. He stumbled and tripped on the uneven ground, receiving a laugh from Schlatt and his men each time he nearly faceplanted. What made his blood boil was the embarrassment of having to rely on his captors to guide him. He couldn't fucking see where he was going, but they could. And if he didn't want to run into a tree or trip over a rock, he had no choice but to follow their lead. How satisfying it would be to 'accidentally' bump into someone and cause them to fall over, but Schlatt had proven to be intolerant of Tommy's antics... it was probably a better idea to not do that. 

As they walked he heard Schlatt muttering orders to his men. He told them to hide in the bushes and trees around the area, and to remain silent until he gave them the verbal cue. They were to fire their weapons at the king until he lay dead on the ground, after which they would being him his crown, and they would head off to the capitol to claim the Antarctic throne. Tommy was having a hard time listening to all this, he would honestly rather not know the details of their plan- it would be less painful. But Schlatt probably knew that, which was why he wasn't bothering to be subtle as he explained the plan multiple times. 

Tommy hoped his father wouldn't show up. 

It wasn't like he wanted to die- not by a longshot. He yearned more than anything to hear his dad's voice, to go home and hug his brothers; he hadn't hugged them in a long time. He wanted his family to rescue him, and he _knew_ they would try with all their might to get him home safely. But the longer this had gone on, the more it became clear to Tommy that this was exactly what Schlatt wanted. In all the madman's ramblings, it had become increasingly obvious that Tommy was bait. He was meant to draw his father away from their castle to a place where he was alone and outnumbered.

Schlatt was going to offer him a trade: His kingdom for his son. But Tommy knew in his core than Schlatt never intended to honor that deal, he had already told him that he would kill his dad either way. Either right here and now, or they'd take him prisoner and publicly execute him in front of their subjects. He was helping them lure his father into a trap, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. 

As much as it scared him, Tommy knew he should not be prioritized over their people. His father wasn't just his father, he was a king. He had a duty to his citizens, and as their leader, he should never put himself at risk for the sake of someone else, even his own son. This was so much bigger than just Tommy, he was old enough to know that much. The thought of all those people suffering under Schlatt's rule repulsed him. His father shouldn't come. 

But he and Schlatt both knew he would. 

Tommy was unceremoniously shoved down onto a... a chair? A solid wooden chair in the middle of the woods? Whatever, it didn't matter. A firm hand came down on his shoulder and squeezed it, startling him. It was Schlatt, he was sure. 

"Listen up kid. The king should be here any minute now, but you are _not_ going to spoil this for me, got it?" He hissed into Tommy's ear, "You are gonna sit perfectly still- and I don't want to hear a peep out of you, understand?" Tommy felt the sudden coolness of a knife brush across his skin that gave him goosebumps.

The boy nodded. 

"Excellent. Now, all you have to do is just sit there and look scared. I'm sure you can manage that; We'll take care of the rest!" Schlatt patted Tommy's cheek with sarcastic reassurance, "It'll all work out great."

That was when they both heard the sound of horses approaching not too far away, and then footsteps. Judging by the way the satyr pulled away from him suddenly confirmed his suspicions. The king had arrived. 

"Welcome, your majesty! I'm so glad you could make it... should we get started?"

Tommy wasn't sure how to feel. His dad was _here,_ standing somewhere behind him. He hadn't seen or heard his voice in days, and the knowledge that he was _right here_ was enough to make him want to cry with joy. But on the other hand, his dad was here. He had come to negotiate his safe release, but he was going to be killed right where he stood in a matter of minutes. His dad was here, and Schlatt was about to win. 

Schlatt spoke again, "Excellent. I suppose I should introduce myself... my name is Schlatt. It's a pleasure to meet you-"

"You have my son." 

Tommy was unable to contain a small squeak of surprise at the sound of his father's voice; He promptly received an aggressive kick in the shin from the goat man. 

"Ahhh, yes- I guess we should just get right down to business then. You're an efficient man, I like it!"

The speaking continued between the two of them, but their voices faded into the background. It's surprisingly easy to tune out what's happening around you when you're surrounded by darkness. He was focusing on calming his pounding heart, mind swarming with scenarios of what would become of his family and his home after today. The longer the thought about it, the worse the scenarios became. He was so caught up in the imaginary scenes that he nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt someone grasp the back of his chair and violently turn it to face the opposite direction.

"TOMMY?" his father called, He sounded so shocked.

"Not so fast!" All of a sudden he felt the familiar chill of a blade against his throat and he tensed up reflexively, letting out a small noise of surprise.

The sound of a sword being drawn was heard, and he felt the knife get pressed deeper into his skin. Even the slightest bit more pressure and it was sure to pierce him.

Schlatt said something snide, followed by more shouting. Tommy couldn't keep track of everything- it was happening too fast and the weapon held firmly to his neck was taking up all of his attention. His muscles were rigid as though they were made of stone. He didn't even flinch when he felt Schlatt pat the top of his head at some point. How long had he been sitting here again?

The prince was snapped back into reality when Schlatt yelled, "HEY! Look at me, not him, got it?"

There was a pause. 

"Good, good... wonderful. Well! Now that you've seen that the kid is in good health, let's get bargaining!"

"What do you want? Is it gold? Emeralds? Name your price and it's done."

"I'm not interested in money."

"What? What do you mean?"

"I don't want gold or jewels, your majesty. I could get those anywhere if I wanted. No. What I want, is something only _you_ can give. It's actually rather small, really. Just one simple, single little thing."

"Well, what is it?"

"Your crown." 

Another pause.

"You heard me. I want your crown." 

The sound of what Tommy knew was his father removing his crown could be heard. He thought that was all Schlatt wanted. Who could blame him? No one had ever tried to pull off a bold plan like this before. Schlatt laugh echoed throughout the area. Oh gods... here it comes. 

"Oh no no no, you misunderstand. I didn't mean your actual, physical crown- well, I suppose I did in a sense. What I should have said was 'I want your crown... and _everything_ that comes with it'"

Tommy couldn't contain himself any longer. This was just a set up... but there was still time for his father to _run_ \- to go back home and leave him behind. He would have said this if he could, but was reduced to pathetic muffled groans of distress; he shook his head violently from side to side saying _NO._ His dad needed to go, he needed to leave right now. If he turned on his heels and ran right that second, Schlatt's men would probably be too surprised to catch up to him. He desperately hoped his father understood what he was trying to say. 

Schlatt was trying to hold him still, but Tommy didn't care, it was only when Schlatt whispered into his ear and said, "If you don't settle down, I'll have my men kill him _right now_. That won't be fun for any of us, will it?" that Tommy stopped struggling. 

"Well, what's it going to be, King Philza?"

Why was his dad still here?

Was he still here? Tommy didn't hear him say anything, but he heard no fleeing footsteps either. 

"I'm waiting!" The goat man piped up, "I don't have all day, your majesty."

"...You're insane. I don't even know what to say-you want to take over my kingdom?"

Schlatt proceeded to go in a tirade about how he was right about their monarchy being weak, how his father wasted his power and allowed himself to be held down by the attachments that were his sons. How Tommy was a useless liability, and how his dad was a pathetic excuse for a king for daring to bargain for his son's life. It was as though this man was convinced that the universe had slighted him by not giving him the privilege of being born into a royal family. He spoke as if he thought _he deserved_ to have their kingdom, like he thought the political power was being squandered on kindness to the people, that he would make a better leader simply because he rejected the concept of love for other people. If he won and got complete control over their massively wealthy empire, it would be a dark day for the entire world. 

"I have been patient and compliant with you for far too long, Schlatt. You have insulted the Antarctic Empire and you have insulted me, I demand you return my son, Prince Tommy, to me at once. A threat to his life is a threat to the entire empire. If so much as one single drop of his blood is shed, you will suffer a fate worse than death by my hand." His dad was using his 'royal voice', which must have intimidated Schlatt at least a little, considering how loud he gulped. 

Suddenly, he was lifted to his feet, and an arm snaked over his chest, pulling him firmly against and in front of Schlatt. He felt himself be walked backwards, dagger still aimed at him. Schlatt was making more cocky threats in an effort to intimidate his opponent as they made their way further and further from the chair Tommy had just been in. 

"... I'll simply have one of my men pull your crown off of your corpse!" Schlatt said. That was the verbal cue he mentioned earlier. His soldiers were armed and ready, likely aiming directly at the king's head.

_No. Please no._

He was barely listening to the conversation anymore. The worst was about to happen. Why didn't his dad run? Why had he not fled the moment he realized what Schlatt was really after? Why was he going to have to die like this in the middle of the woods? Why couldn't Tommy help him? Why why why why why? 

Schlatt was _still_ talking and Tommy could only pick up bits and pieces of what he said until-

"...can your palace protect itself in your absence?"

_What?_

"What?" The king asked.

_No no no no no no_

"...They'll fight well, but they won't win; they simply won't be prepared!"

Schlatt hadn't mentioned anything about invading their palace. Tommy thought his numbers would be too low to actually initiate a battle. How many people did he have? Oh gods, what about his brothers? Would they be caught by surprise? They were going to die, weren't they? He felt himself being turned around and pulled away by the wrists. He dug in his heels as Schlatt continued to ramble that he knew his family hadn't been sleeping well. 

_Please, PLEASE NO_

"...I told my men to take them out first." Schlatt finished his spiel. He was talking about Wilbur and Technoblade. They were going to be killed first, before they'd even get a chance to fight back. 

It wasn't until he felt the wetness of the blindfold against his face that he realized he had started crying at some point. He choked out a sob, struggling against his bindings in a way that surely looked pathetic and childish. Why was it so hard to breathe all of a sudden? Was Schlatt laughing at him again? His head was spinning, he felt nauseous, he could feel his whole body trembling.

They stopped, and Schlatt turned him around again. Tommy knew exactly what was about to happen. 

"How does it feel knowing you'll die in front of your son?"

_No no nonono! PLEASE-_

"Shoot him dead."

The collective clicks of weapon fire filled Tommy's ears in an instant and he _broke._ In an instant he felt his entire world crash around him. The dull but suffocating pain that consumed his heart was overwhelming. Never in his life had he been in this much agony. 

He screamed with every fiber of his being. He shrieked so loud that he didn't hear the shattering of a potion bottle as it was thrown to the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tommy doesn't know what a panic attack is, does he?
> 
> Don't worry, he gets to hug his papa soon


	12. The Meeting: Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> King Philza kicks some serious ass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there I am not good at writing combat scenes, so I'm sorry if this reeks of noob :(

The potion bottle shattered on impact, causing it's contents to fly and splash all over the place in a cloud of mist. When the mist cleared, a collective gasp of confusion could be heard from the soldiers' various hiding spots. 

"What- where the hell did he go?" Schlatt shouted, which in turn caught Tommy's attention, whose his grief-stricken whimpers quieted.

It was an invisibility potion.

King Philza had known he would likely be attacked at this meeting, he wasn't a fool. There's no honor among thieves, this much was certain. So, he had come _well_ prepared in case he needed an out. He hadn't accounted for Tommy actually being there though. His quick-exit strategy was now a rescue mission. It would be tricky- Tommy was still in the hands of the enemy, but Phil would not leave this forest without him. 

"DAMN IT! He had an invisibility potion? That's no fair!" Schlatt stomped his foot in frustration, clearly not used to having the rug pulled out from under him. His grip on Tommy tightened, and he began looking over his shoulder nervously. He quickly composed himself, however, and resumed barking orders at his men, "It's just a small setback- there's no way he'd leave without the kid. Just keep shooting, boys!" 

As their leader instructed, arrows began to fly again- this time in random directions. Phil kept low to the ground and found refuge underneath the table that sat obnoxiously in the middle of the clearing. He glanced around his surroundings, wracking his brain for the quickest and safest next step. As much as he would have liked to stalk the perimeter of the clearing, picking off the soldiers one-by-one, he knew he didn't have that kind of time; invisibility potions only lasted so long, there was no time to be ruthless now. 

Phil withdrew his own crossbow and loaded it with one of the many poisoned arrows he'd brought. He considered firing it right into Schlatt's heart, but he was clutching his hostage in front of him like a human shield. After a quick glance around the surrounding plant life, he spotted most of the men's hiding positions. He noted that there were less people than he initially thought- only about 12 in total. With one quick motion after another, he shot off dozens of arrows with pinpoint accuracy.

He took out one, then two, then four, then six; all in the span of about 2 minutes. The poisoned arrows worked quickly, killing their victims so quickly they barely had time to realize they'd been hit. 

It wasn't until one of the bodies fell out of the tree he'd been hiding in that Schlatt noticed his men had been dying. The remaining six soldiers did too, and someone finally noticed where the shots were coming from. 

"HE'S UNDER THE TABLE!" Someone called, and the weapon-fire resumed. Phil immediately rolled out from under the table, springing to his feet. It had begun to resemble a pin-cushion with the amount of arrows sticking out of it. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Schlatt and Tommy were moving again. Schlatt had resumed dragging him- but this time with much more force and aggression. Tommy was _really_ fighting back this time, planting his feet like a stubborn mule and attempting to wrestle his hands from the goat's grip. They were heading further back into the forest; no doubt back to whatever hellhole Schlatt called home. 

The bastard was trying to run away. 

But he still had Tommy. 

He needed to move. _NOW._

Phil reached for another arrow- now with a clear shot to the satyr's skull- but found there were none left. Dammit, he would have brought more if he'd known he'd be getting into a shootout. He would have to get all the way across the clearing with his sword, but his invisibility was due to wear off any second now-

"HEY! I CAN SEE HIM! HE'S RIGHT THERE!!" a soldier suddenly cried. Upon hearing this, Phil looked down at himself to find that, yes, he was quite visible now.

Fuck. 

The six remaining men began to emerge from their hiding spots, slowly approaching and encircling Phil with their weapons still drawn and loaded. They were snickering to themselves. It seemed that these people were just as cocky as their leader. They could have taken a shot by now, but apparently they wanted to enjoy their victory a little more, now that they had Phil cornered.

That would be their mistake. 

"Good afternoon, gentlemen. I don't think I've had the pleasure of meeting any of you yet... care to introduce yourselves?" the king asked, his hands already clutching multiple throwing knives within his robe. The men didn't respond of course, but that was no bother. 

"Get on your knees old man." one of them instructed. 

"Alright- sure, sure," Phil feigned surrender and slowly lowered himself to his knees, tightening his grip on the blades, "I know when I'm beat... say- have any of you ever had your throats slit?" he asked casually. The random question seemed to surprise them a little, as they snuck glances at each other with confusion.

Before any of them could respond further, the knives had already left Phil's hand. He had flung his arms out, aiming each of his fingers just so. The small blades flew in every direction, spinning slightly on their trajectories before finding their targets. The knives had each sunken deep into the necks of the six men, who reflexively dropped their crossbows and clutched at their throats, stumbling back in disorientation.

A couple of them made the mistake of yanking the blade out, which would only quicken their deaths, and painted the surrounding grass a lovely shade of crimson. Those who did not pull the knives out simply collapsed to the ground, desperately gasping for air before they would eventually suffocate from their punctured tracheas. 

With the immediate threat gone, Phil stepped over their writhing bodies and drew his sword. There was nothing but pure, unbridled rage in his eyes. He marched like a machine to where he had least seen Schlatt and Tommy. 

Of course, they were gone. But that wouldn't stop him, no, nothing would keep him from slaughtering that goat like the animal he was. They couldn't have gotten far. 

The trail Tommy's struggling had left behind was clear; long gashes in the dirt from dragging feet extended deeper into the forest where they had been going. Hopefully, he had slowed Schlatt down enough that Phil could catch up. 

So he ran. 

He sprinted through the dense woods, swerving between trees and leaping over rocks. Branches would scrape across his face and snag his clothing, but he continued. 

He hadn't been going for very long when he heard a voice, Schlatt's voice. He was up ahead somewhere, and he sounded frustrated.

"Come _on_ kid! Quit making this so damn difficult! Just... let's _go!_ " 

Tommy's muffled protests could also be heard.

Phil finally spotted them, just beyond the edge of the forest, heading towards a few waiting horses. Probably what they used to get here. Schlatt was trying to wrestle the squirming teenager onto the horse, but was finding little success. 

"Ugh. Why did he have to have an invisibility potion? I'm so behind schedule now-"

"SCHLATT." Phil's voice boomed as he stepped out into view, sword in hand. The satyr jumped at the loud noise, and turned to face him, "Release him. Now."

Schlatt's demeanor was very different from how if was back in the clearing. His ears were flat against his head, his movements were far less smooth and composed. There was an animalistic look in his eyes, like a cornered dog. Despite the obvious fact that he would not be walking out of this situation alive, he grinned. It was a wide, toothy grin- a deranged grin. He didn't surrender as ordered, he simply pulled Tommy in front of him again and pulled out the same dagger he'd threatened him with before, holding it to his neck just as before. 

"Kill me if you like, then. Your other sons are probably already dead by now, and if you want to kill me, I'll kill _him_ first."

"I'm not going to say this again. Release my son, and your death will be quick."

"How enticing. Nah, I think I'll make you try to get to him yourself. At least then I'll have had one small victory today. 

"It's _over._ You _lost,_ Schlatt! Give it up, already!"

"NO! I want you to suffer. You make me lose? I make you lose," Schlatt's voice was dark and dripped with bitterness, "You squander your immense power- waste it on such frivolous and foolish things- You're weak, and if I can't kill you- then I'll settle with killing all of your children. You don't deserve to be happy." 

Phil's grip on his sword tightened. Schlatt was rambling now, far less collected than he'd ever seen him. He was arguably more dangerous now than he was before, eyes full of bloodlust.

It was difficult to read Tommy due to most of his face being obscured, but the wet marks on his checks made one thing clear, he'd been crying. Now, though, he was struggling against Schlatt's grip, who was having a hard time holding him steady. 

"Now, now, Prince Thomas," He cooed in an eerily soft tone, "I've thoroughly enjoyed your company these past few days, and I appreciate all your help for my little cause... but I guess some things just don't work out. Oh well. I'm afraid I'll have to kill you now, though. Don't worry, nothing personal... It's just business." He began to press the blade further into Tommy's throat, poised to slice at any second. But before he could get any further, Tommy delivered a hearty kick to his shin, causing him to grunt in pain and surprise.

Phil may have laughed if not for the danger of this situation, but a small bit of pride bloomed in his chest. 

Schlatt did not find this amusing in the slightest, "Oh you little bastard- that's it, I've had enough of your shit-" He said, roughly grabbing Tommy by the jaw and holding his head up and back, further exposing his neck.

That's when the knife started to cut, and a streak of dark red liquid dripped down the boy's jugular. A squeal of pain erupted from Tommy at this.

Schlatt's dagger didn't get any further than that, because he was suddenly on the ground several yards away. Phil had dashed forward the second he saw blood and threw the man like he weight nothing. Tommy stumbled to the ground, curling into a ball and clutching his bleeding throat with his still-bound hands. 

Schlatt staggered to his feet and tried throwing a punch. Phil slashed at him with his sword. Schlatt grabbed the end of the blade with both hands, causing blood to drip from his now sliced palms. He stumbled back, foolish determination in his golden eyes, though there was no feasible way for him to win now. He looked at the king with a wry smile, and spat at his feet. 

King Philza descended on the goat man like a lion, striking him again and again with righteous fury. His sword slashed over and over, everywhere that wasn't vital, Phil wanted him to suffer for what he had done. He wanted to make this man feel every bit of pain that he had felt when he thought he might lose one of his children forever. He wanted to tear him limb from limb, flay him alive, mount his horns on a wall as a trophy. He would make him pay for the suffering he'd caused his boys. He would not allow this act of war to go unpunished. 

When he was satisfied with his work, Phil plunged his sword deep into Schlatt's chest, only pulling it out when the satyr drew his final breath. Good riddance. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ding dong the wicked bitch is dead. 
> 
> Next chapter is probably gonna be shorter, but from Tommy's pov yayyyy :)


	13. Safety

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prince Tommy finally gets some much-needed comfort from King Dadza

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had this chapter half-written and accidentally deleted it. Whoopsies.

Tommy was not having a good day. 

Granted, the entirety of the last week or so had been miserable, but all of that paled in comparison to now. 

The sheer magnitude of emotional whiplash that he had experienced in the past hour had left Tommy a disorientated wreck.

First, the thought he would have to listen to his father die, then he heard Schlatt say "invisibility potion" and gave him a spark of hope and relief. Then, he felt himself being dragged off again, with Schlatt aggressively yanking him along and even pulling his hair to keep him moving. Tommy had thought he was being taken away again; he had wondered why he was even still alive at that point, part of him even wished Schlatt would just kill him and it would be finally over. Finally, just as Schlatt was trying to get him onto a horse, he heard his father's voice explode through the area with a rage he had never heard before. 

The next few moments went by in a blur for Tommy. He heard more talking, and felt the suffocating grip on his shoulders tighten accompanied by the familiar sharpness of a blade pressed against his jugular. Schlatt mumbled something in his ear- sounding oddly calm- but Tommy didn't understand a word of it except for one phrase:

"I'm afraid I'll have to kill you now....Don't worry, nothing personal..."

Despite his trembling knees, his fight-or-flight instinct kicked in. Almost reflexively, he lifted his leg and kicked _hard-_ coming into contact with his captor's shin. He was immediately grasped by the jaw and held more firmly in place, nails digging into his flesh and a loud, angry voice in his ear. 

Then, the knife had started cutting. 

His senses where overwhelmed by the sharp pain, a warm stream of blood pouring down his neck. Despite all his fighting, Tommy was going to die. 

But then...it stopped. As suddenly as the blade began piercing him, it was gone; and so were the hands that had gripped him. He lost his balance and toppled over, unable to comprehend any of his surroundings. All he could hear was the pounding of his own heart, and the still bleeding wound did nothing to quell his primal panic. He did his best to hold his still-tied hands over the cut to slow the bleeding, curling in on himself instinctively.

He could hear some kind of struggle going on nearby. No one was speaking, just the grunts of effort that came with fighting, then after awhile, it was only the sound of a sweeping sword making contact with flesh. Curiously, there were no cries of agony coming from the one being attacked, only silence. 

Tommy heard a sword clatter to the ground and armored boots sprinting closer, accompanied by a familiar, relief-filled voice calling, "Tommy! Tommy- I'm here... I'm coming over to you Toms- I'm coming!"

Even though he knew it was his dad, he still flinched when a hand gingerly touched his shoulder and rolled him on his back, taking a look at his neck while whispering reassurances. Part of him was afraid that it wasn't real, that he was somehow imagining it all- even though the warmth of his father's touch felt as real and comforting as it ever did.

"I'm going to free your hands, just give me a second,"

Tommy nodded. A gentle hand took his wrists and he felt a blade cut through the ropes that had been there all day, gliding through them like butter. He winced a little as the skin was damaged and bruised from chafing- and surely bleeding in some spots. Phil let out a barely audible gasp, likely seeing how bad the skin looked, "Sorry- sorry about that...I'm sorry. I-I'll bandage those in a minute, alright? Just let me get these filthy things off of you."

His father's dagger carefully sliced through the fabrics over his eyes and mouth. The tear-soaked blindfold was removed, and Tommy spat out the gag that had kept him silent until this point, taking a few shaky deep breaths of fresh air. It took his eyes a moment to adjust to the light, but when everything finally came into focus, the only thing that filled his vision was the strong, concerned gaze of the mighty King Philza. 

His father. 

"Dad-?" Tommy croaked. His voice was strained from all the screaming he had done earlier. It wasn't really a question, more of an observation to himself. 

"Oh my gods-" Phil suddenly threw his arms around Tommy, as though he simply couldn't hold himself back anymore, "Tommy, I was so worried- we all were. We thought you might-" his voice cracked, "We thought... we might never see you again." 

Tommy, though a bit surprised, happily sunk into his father's embrace and clutched his robe like his life depended on it with his face buried in his shoulder, "S'okay- I'm okay...I'm alright," He mumbled. Whether or not that was the truth was unclear, but by the way Phil's hand shakily carded through his hair and his voice trembled when he spoke, perhaps they could talk about the gritty details later. 

"I was scared. Toms. I was so scared they'd hurt you, I've never been more afraid in my entire life- oh gods, I'm so sorry Tommy."

"I know Dad, I know..."

"I love you, I'd have- I'd have given anything to get you back. I love you, my son....so much"

"I love you too, Dad" 

The two sat there like that for what felt like an eternity, though in reality it was only a few minutes. They clung to each other as if the moment they let go, they'd wake up to find it had all been a dream. Phil could barely contain the joyful sobs that threatened to overflow at any second; he ran his hand through Tommy's hair the way he had when he was a little boy, rubbing gentle, soothing circles onto his back. Tommy blinked back his own tears and let himself be held despite not usually liking to be hugged. It had been so long since he'd felt _safe._ And even though he was bleeding from multiple places, sitting on the ground in the middle of nowhere, he felt _safe_ in his father's arms. If he could have, he would've stayed like that forever.

He kinda wished Wilbur And Techno were there, too. 

Wait a second...

_WILBUR AND TECHNOBLADE!_

"Dad!" He suddenly cried, pushing their hug apart.

"What is it?? What's wrong?"

"It's Wil and Techno- We have to go back home! Schlatt said he was attacking them, he said they were going to be killed! We gotta move!" 

There was a brief pause as a look of horrified realization creeped onto his father's face.

" _Shit._ I was so focused on rescuing you that it completely slipped my mind! You're right, we need to get back and help your brothers," His father said, "Here, let's use this to bandage that cut on your neck for now, we'll figure something else out later," Phil picked up the blindfold that laid on the ground nearby and tied it around Tommy's neck, with enough pressure that the clotted injury might not start bleeding again.

He held out a hand to Tommy and helped him stand up. He also made a move to suggest that he was going to carry Tommy, but the teen waved his father's offer away. He was so tired of being dragged around and manhandled like an animal; he was strong enough to walk by himself, so he would. 

Tommy caught a glimpse of a crumpled figure lying in the dirt not too far away. He was quickly called away by his father, who told him he shouldn't have to see that.

They ran through the forest in the direction they came from; Tommy mostly followed his dad, since he hadn't seen where they where all day. Phil and Tommy made it back to the clearing, where they leapt over the corpses that now littered it. It was odd, running through the area that he had just been in, but actually seeing what it all looked like for the first time; if there weren't bodies everywhere, he might think it was a nice place for a picnic. 

Eventually, they reached the king's horse, along with the horse the messenger had brought; they were both still tethered to tree branches just as they'd been left. Tommy and his father each mounted a steed, then set off in the direction of home. Tommy followed close behind, trusting that his dad remembered the way he had come. 

Tommy hoped and prayed with all his might that his big brothers would be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, Tommy is (mostly) okay :)
> 
> Place your bets: Are Wil and Techno dead? Or are they kicking ass?


	14. Surprise!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wilbur and Techno try to take their minds off the current situation, but find themselves in some deep shit anyway. When will they catch a break?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does Wiblur and Tecnho get die??? huh????

Technoblade stood at the top of a guard tower, refusing to take his eyes off the king who waited at the gates below. He didn't feel right just standing there- he wished he could go with him, but his father was instructed to come alone. 

When a lone figure approached the gates, his had reached for a nearby bow and arrows on instinct, but quickly composed himself. Phil could take care of himself; they all knew this was risky, but it was their only option if they wanted to get Tommy back peacefully. The king refused to discuss the matter further, and Techno understood why- Tommy's life was on the line, to endanger him for any reason would break his father's heart. 

The eldest prince watched the king ride away from view, closely following the escort who was to bring him to this 'meeting'. He didn't move from his spot until he could no longer see his father in the distance. He was on his own now. 

Techno turned to meet his twin's gaze- Wilbur was standing in the opposite guard tower, a similar determined look on his face. They gave each other a nod of acknowledgement before turning to leave their respective towers and presumably go about their normal routines. As much as it sucked, all the two brothers could do for now was wait. 

He didn't really feel like doing anything. He was meant to be reading through some documents now on behalf of the king, but how was he supposed to focus on any of his duties at a time like this? He wouldn't be able to pay attention to the work anyway; the prince hadn't been sleeping well since his little brother was abducted. Techno knew it was unlikely that he'd ever get a good nights rest until Tommy came home... in one state or another. 

That was what disgusted him. The very notion that his little brother was dead, or that he would be soon. The idea that he might be coming home in a coffin...or maybe only parts of him. At least that was preferable to never getting closure at all. 

Techno shooed the idea out of his head. Everything would turn out alright, it had to. If it didn't, then there would be hell to pay for anyone involved, surely the criminals behind this knew that. no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't keep his mind off of the current state of things. The feeling of uselessness and helplessness was not something he enjoyed in the slightest. He needed to do something with his hands, something to release the tension that was building in his shoulders. 

Techno turned a corner and found himself in the courtyard where he usually sparred. Wilbur was already there, leaning against a pillar as though he'd been expecting him to show up. 

"I guess you need a distraction too, huh?" The brunette asked with a tilt of the head and half-hearted smirk.

"Couldn't focus on anything else... I can't stand all this waiting around," Techno replied, "the more I think about it, the angrier I get."

Wilbur's voice softened a little, "I understand... I'm worried about dad too. Anything could happen out there and it's just-" suddenly, Wilbur's voice became louder, "It's just so frustrating!" he stepped over to a nearby bench and sat on it with his elbow resting on his knees. He sounded about as pissed off as Techno felt, but he looked just as tired as Techno felt too. 

Techno silently slumped down on the bench next to his twin brother. He didn't say anything; didn't really know what he could say that hadn't already been said at some point. He was never too good with words of inspiration anyway, that was Wilbur's department. The two princes just enjoyed the pleasant silence for a few minutes. The peace and quiet was a welcome change from the bustling chaos they'd been drowning in for the past week. 

"Well!" Wilbur suddenly stood up, clapping his hands together to punctuate his exclamation, "there's no use in just sitting here all day- what do you say we go a few rounds? Get the old aggression out, yeah?" he gestured to the various familiar weapons and gear piled up nearby where they'd left them last time. That didn't sound like a bad idea.

"Beats paperwork." Techno replied dryly, but Wilbur only rolled his eyes and held out his hand to help Techno stand up. They were both grinning, a least a little bit.

The twin brothers strolled over to the pile and picked through it to find their favorite items for sparring. They each donned their own armor and selected a sword to fight with before taking their positions in the center of the courtyard like usual, weapons drawn and daring each other to make the first move. 

Of course, Techno struck first- pouncing forward with startling speed and agility. Wilbur was ready, blocking the attack with his own sword. Immediately, the clashing of metal-on-metal rang out through the area as the princes exchanged expert swings of their blades and stepped around one another with confidence. Despite the lack of sleep, neither fighter could land a decent blow; they were both simply too used to one another's attacks that it became almost like a dance.

No words were exchanged. One would thrust forward, the other would step back in return. One would slide to the left, the other would slide to the right. Every strike anticipated- every movement practiced. To an outsider watching, they might think it was a choreographed performance. There was a strange beauty in their duels; the brothers had always enjoyed this little ritual of theirs- they would momentarily escape to their own little world where it was just the two of them lovingly trying to beat the shit out of one another and no one would bother them. 

The duel ended as most did, with Prince Technoblade as the victor. Wilbur had done very well of course, but had slipped up on one of his attacks and Techno seized his opportunity to twirl the sword out of his brother's grip and kick his legs out from under him with a sweep of his own leg- leaving him disarmed and on the ground. He pointed his blade under Wilbur's chin, claiming his victory with a little smirk. 

"You swung your sword too slowly at the end there, Wil," Techno critiqued. He offered his hand and helped his twin off the ground. 

"I know I know! I'm just a little tired, if I was at 100% theres no way you would have won that fast."

"But I would have won eventually."

"Yeah... probably. You're just better at this than I am." 

"This is true. I am superior," Techno teased. He was being _mostly_ sarcastic.

"You asshole, ever heard of humility?" Wilbur swatted at his brother playfully.

Techno shrugged, "It's just the truth- you said it yourself!" 

"I thought you might be at least a little humble about it! You were supposed to say 'ohhh no Wil, you are also an incredibly gifted swordsman! Maybe even better than me!' or something," the brunette feigned offense but couldn't keep from chuckling, "Would that have been so hard, Techno?"

"I would never lie to you, Wilbur."

His twin laughed, "You are such a prick! Come on, lets have another go! I'll bet I can get the jump on you this time-"

"SHH!" Techno suddenly interrupted, his face turned serious.

"What? Did you just shush me?! Real mature-"

"SHHHH!" he hissed again, "Shut up, I think I heard something."

Immediately, Wilbur dropped the joke, obviously listening for something as well. It became clear soon after that he heard the sound too. 

It was a strange thumping noise, barely audible, but it was there. It sounded sort of like... footsteps... from multiple people. It was definitely footsteps, running footsteps to be precise. They were distant, but the clatter of boots repeatedly hitting the floor was quickly increasing in volume, accompanied by unintelligible speaking echoing down the halls. 

The twins exchanged looks of concern. This wasn't typical behavior for anyone in the castle staff. Something was wrong.

"What's going on out there...?" Techno muttered, his grip tightening on his sword; Wilbur did the same. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the sound, trying to think of any plausible reason for it, hoping that it wasn't what he thought it might be. Something in his gut was just _screaming_ that there was danger, but that was silly, right? Their palace was virtually impenetrable, especially now. There was no way there were intruders. Surely, he was just on edge and was overthinking things. He turned to his brother and ask for his opinion when-

"BEHIND YOU!" Wilbur exclaimed without warning and knocked Techno to the ground with a shove, just as an arrow whizzed by and imbedded itself in a wall behind them. Wilbur immediately produced a throwing knife from he belt and hurled it in the direction the arrow had come from, followed by a pained grunt and the distinct sound of a body hitting the ground. All of this happened within a few seconds and neither Techno, nor Wilbur seemed to have any idea what the fuck had just happened. 

"What the _hell_ was that?" Techno asked as he scrambled to his feet and spun around to see a masked man lying just behind the doorway to the courtyard with a knife in his chest.

"I... I don't know. I just saw that guy peek out from behind the door and point a crossbow at us and I just... It was instinct I guess?" Wilbur was just as bewildered as Techno was, clearly, "Dad's not here to call the shots. I think- I think we might have a problem on out hands." 

Techno scoffed. Of course there were intruders, why wouldn't there be? His gut was right, "Looks like we do. This can't be a coincidence- grab some extra gear and let's check it out."

"Right. Sounds good." The brunette plucked the crossbow off the dead man in the hallway and slung it over his shoulder, giving his brother a slight nod. Neither of them would show it outwardly, but they were nervous. Nothing like this had ever happened before, and the two brothers were beginning to think Tommy's kidnapping might have been about more than money. Was this some kind of set up? 

They stepped through the doorway and over the corpse, making sure to stay absolutely silent as they traversed down the strangely empty corridors. 

It wasn't long before they passed the kitchen, and finally came across some sign of life. There were several cooks and attendants huddled together in the corner of the room; though they were initially terrified of people entering the room, they were quite relieved to see it was the princes- who were alive and well and armed to the teeth. 

"Oh! Your highnesses! Thank gods you're both alright!" Said one woman. 

"When those men came through here we thought we'd all be done for..." Said another.

"Hold on, hold on- What happened? You said people came through here?" Wilbur interjected with a tone that was hard to read. It was as though he was trying to reassure these people that everything was under control, but was having a hard time hiding his own confusion on the matter. 

"There were all these masked men... they stormed in here no too long ago waving their weapons all over the place!" A cook explained, "They demanded to know where the princes were, but none of us knew, we couldn't tell them even if we wanted to."

"How many of them were there?" Techno asked. 

"There had to be at least a dozen, but they said there were more all over the palace... they said we'd be wise to stay put unless we wanted to die. One of them said something about 'our new emperor will need staff to serve him' and then they all just left." 

Wilbur spoke up, "Have you seen any guards at all?"

"No your highness, no one else has come through here I'm afraid."

That didn't sound good. How could something like this have happened so quickly? Where were the guards? It seemed that the entire building had been infiltrated by that point, so why had Techno and his brother not been notified the moment there was trouble? 

Oh. The answer to that question dawned on him almost immediately. Neither of the twins had been where they were supposed to be all day, they had told no one of where they were going. No one knew where they were, how could they possibly have been notified? The king had trusted them to hold down the fort while he was gone, and they had fucked it up almost immediately. Great. 

Techno looked over at Wilbur, who seemed to be having a similar realization. The shameful look on his face was rather telling. One thing was clear, they needed to act fast. 

The princes gave the frightened staff some encouraging words and advised them to stay where they were, then headed back into the hallway to resume their sweep of the palace. 

Eventually, they found some of their own guards near a staircase, which would have filled the two brothers with relief... but there was a bit of a problem with that. 

Every single one of them was dead. 

There were eight of them in total, all talented young soldiers with lives and families of their own; and all of them had been either stabbed to death, or shot with an arrow. There were small puddles and smears of blood all over the floor, with several sets of scarlet footprints leading away from the massacre. The sight of their own men- many of them around their age- laying slaughtered in a bloody pile, filled the brothers with even greater rage. Especially Techno, he sparred with and even helped train several of those men, and now they were dead. 

The time for mourning was cut rather short though, as a group of voices was heard approaching. People were descending the staircase, making no effort to be quiet.

Wilbur quickly pulled Techno behind particularly large pillar and signaled him to be quiet. They may have seriously fucked up by not telling anyone where they were going before they abandoned their duties, but at least the fact that no one knew their whereabouts could be somewhat beneficial. The two of them stayed completely quiet as the footsteps grew louder. Eventually, the conversation became audible, so they listened in. 

"We've searched this hallway already, haven't we?" A gruff voice said.

"Yes, but we're searching it again. Our orders were clear, remember? We have to make sure the other two princes are dead, it's our top priority to find them." Another replied. 

"Ughh. They might not even be here anymore... what if they abandoned ship or something?"

"Emperor Schlatt said the princes would never just leave. They're here somewhere, we just have to find them."

"Think they're hiding?" A third voice piped up. 

"Probably. Maybe they're both holed up in some closet still crying about their precious baby brother being gone."

A bout of laughter ensued. 

"I can't believe so many people actually _like_ that brat. He's so loud and obnoxious, what's he even good for here?" 

"At least he made good leverage...I never thought it would be this easy to take over such a massive kingdom, but Schlatt knows how to play his card right, I guess."

"Speaking of, how do you guys think the meeting is going? Y'think the king is dead yet?"

Before Techno had a chance to stop him, Wilbur had already dashed out from behind the pillar with his sword raised- nearly tackling one of the men to the ground. He wasted no time allowing the soldiers to react to his sudden entrance, he simply got straight to work. Wilbur's fighting style had always been a bit sloppier than Techno's. It was effective, just scrappier and less elegant; though, as long as it gets the job done, did it even matter?

Wil was actually handling things just fine out there by himself, cutting down each of the masked men with relative ease. But Techno would never let him have all the fun of course, that last comment one of them had made only fueled the flames of fury he'd been cultivating in his heart for the past week. He'd repressed it for the sake of being rational, but now he would like nothing more than to sink his blade into someone's skull. 

So, Technoblade casually strolled out from their former hiding spot and paused for just a moment to take in the beautifully bloody scene already before him. When he had finished admiring the scenery, he pounced on his prey with frightening speed and an angry grin spread across his face. 

He would make each and every one of these people die an agonizingly painful death at his hand. He would make sure the last thing the saw was his blood-soaked sword plunging toward them. Even that could never come close to atoning for their crimes, but it was a start. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're fine, see?   
> Schlatt may have underestimated this family a little, I don't think he knew just how powerful these two get when they're together. Lack of sleep isn't nearly enough to incapacitate them. 
> 
> I'm thinking there may only be a few more chapters in this story, but we'll see how it goes.


	15. Making Bad Choices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy's father gives him one (1) single task. Just one. O n e.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tommy's really been through a lot in this story but we know he's still not the most rational choice maker, right?

Prince Tommy and the king galloped through the countryside as quickly as their horses could carry them. Had the circumstances not been so urgent, Tommy might have enjoyed the beauty of the scenery that whizzed by. Honestly, he had no idea where they were, but he followed closely behind his father and tried not to let his mind wander too much. 

The cut on the young prince's neck was admittedly rather small, but it sure stung like a bitch. That wasn't the only thing that pained him either, his entire body ached in one way or another. His muscles were sore, his bruised and scraped skin was so tender that even the lightest touch would send a twinge of pain that made him flinch. His stomach had gone without sufficient food for so long that it physically hurt. The lack of water had taken a toll on Tommy as well; though he was trying his best not to show it, he was very tired. Not sleepy per se, just exhausted- nearly drained of all his energy, like his body was running on empty. All of these factors were distracting, to say the least, but he kept his eyes on the road in front of him. 

Every once in a while, Phil would glance behind him to look at Tommy. He'd stare at him for a moment before facing forward again, only to repeat the process a few minutes later. It was as if he was checking to make sure his son was still there; that he hadn't been an illusion this whole time. On any other day, Tommy would find this incredibly annoying, but now he found comfort in his dad's gaze, and he was sure that his dad found some comfort in seeing that Tommy hadn't turned to dust or anything. 

He was hoping that maybe Schlatt had been bluffing, or at least exaggerating when he said how many soldiers he'd sent; though he hadn't been bluffing about anything else. It wasn't that he didn't think his older brothers were capable of defending themselves. They _certainly_ were. What he was worried about was how long they'd last before they got too tired to continue... even the most skilled of fighters run out of stamina eventually. Of course, now that their leader was dead, their entire plan was busted, but that didn't mean these people wouldn't inflict damage on the innocents that inhabited the palace. How many guards and attendants would be killed for being in the way? 

The sun was setting by that point and the two of them had been travelling for several hours. They had passed through several small villages, even taking a shortcut through a farm that the king was certain would save time. As they rode, the frequency of towns and clear roads increased. Tommy recognized the familiar architecture on the buildings they passed, the detailing and vibrancy of the homes got bigger and better the farther they went; meaning that they were close to the capital. Phil assured him that they were close- that at any minute they'd spot the tallest tower of their palace in the distance. If they kept up the pace, they would surely make it home before it got completely dark. 

And just as promised, the tip of the tallest spire could be seen peeking just over the horizon. Almost there. Almost home. 

Not long after the castle came into view, Phil abruptly slowed his horse to a halt and turned it so that it stood sideways across the path and forced Tommy to come to an abrupt stop as well. They had to be only a ten minute ride away by now. Phil was looking at him very intently, clearly mulling something over in his head. 

"Why'd we stop? What's the matter?" Tommy queried. 

His father looked at the castle in the distance, then back at Tommy; he dismounted his horse and let out a sigh that sounded almost frustrated. 

"Dad? We need to go, we're losing time." 

"Toms-" the king began, "Tommy... I'm going in there to help your brothers. But, you're going to stay behind."

Tommy was taken aback, "What, why? What do you mean??"

"It's just- look at you! You're wounded and you've just been through such a horrible ordeal... I don't- I don't want to put you in any more danger tonight."

"But I want to help Techno and Wil! They need all the help they can get, right?" Tommy was well aware that his voice was beginning to sound whiney, but he didn't care, "I'll be fine, I promise! It's basically my fault this all happened in the first place so..." 

"Your fault? Toms, _none_ of this is your fault, okay? You're still just a kid, you shouldn't have had to get involved in anything like this. You've been through enough," Phil walked over to Tommy and offered his hand to help him off his horse, "it's time for you to take a break and let me handle the rest of this."

The young prince refused his father's outstretched hand, "But-"

"Tommy. This is not a debate." His dad's voice was firm, but not aggressive or angry, "I don't know what I'd do if something else happened to you, I just got you back... so you're going to stay right here where it's safe." He hooked his fingers around the bridle on Tommy's horse, leading it to the grass just off the road, "Someone will come get you once this is all over, am I clear?"

Phil offered his hand to his son again, looking at him with stern eyes that he only gave when he was 100% serious about something. 

"Am I _clear,_ son?" the question came again. He was expecting an answer. 

"...Fine." Tommy huffed, ignoring his father's hand and dismounting the horse on his own. His father crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, "I'll wait here," he muttered. 

Phil's eyes softened and he breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank you Toms... Thank you for not fighting me on this. I just want you to be safe, and right now, you're safest away from the action, alright?"

"Alright."

The king smiled warmly and pulled Tommy into a tight hug, lingering there for perhaps a little longer than necessary, "I never told you enough how much I love you... you and your brothers are the light of my life. I'd be lost without you."

Tommy reciprocated the hug. He understood what his father meant, he really did. Honestly, he was right. Tommy was in no condition to jump into a real battle, he'd barely been on his feet for two minutes by now and his knees already threatened to buckle from lack of strength.   
  
When the two finally pulled away from each other, Phil placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and promised to take care of things as quickly as possible. Tommy took a seat at the base of a small nearby tree and nodded. With that, the king mounted his steed and galloped away towards their palace. 

Tommy sat against the tree looking up at the now darkened sky. He knew he needed to stay where he was, he was much safer here and he'd hate to worry his family any more that he already had. But he worried for them too, it didn't feel right to just sit and wait for them to finish fighting for their lives. They had been willing to put their lives on the line for his sake, why shouldn't he be able to do the same? 

He knew he wasn't as strong or skilled as them, Schlatt had been constantly reminding him of that. But he realized something when he escaped that godsforsaken cell; He _was_ capable of handling things, he just had to think outside the box. He hadn't needed to use brute strength or complicated acrobatics to slip out of those chains... all he needed was his brain and a little ambition. Sure, his escape attempt had ultimately failed, but even his captors were surprised that he'd gotten as far as he did. For a scrawny, dehydrated teenager, he hadn't been half bad. Hell, as degrading and terrifying as it had been, Schlatt had felt the need to wildly overcompensate to make sure he couldn't escape again. The goat man had been afraid that he'd be outsmarted again, because as much as he repeated that Tommy was useless, he wasn't. 

He wasn't useless. 

Tommy had always just accepted that he'd never be on the same level as his family. It never really bothered him, at least not until he'd been targeted specifically for that reason. It completely consumed his thoughts. It made him feel guilty and ashamed- like a burden who had caused such a problem simply by being himself.

But he knew his family didn't see it that way. The way his father had embraced him and choked back sobs the moment their eyes met told him this. The way he had grasped at his hair and clung to him like he'd disappear if he let go, the lack of anger or frustration at the situation he'd been caught up in. He had only repeated how much he loved him over and over and over again.

It had been his family's love for him that drove them to risk themselves for his safety, and it was Tommy's love for his family that gave him the courage to try and escape that cell. He'd always been so sure that he'd fail if he tried anything seriously, he assumed he just didn't have the 'gift' that his brothers or father had. But the moment he _tried,_ he succeeded. Maybe he'd be no help to his family with a sword in his hand, but maybe he could help them _his_ way instead.

The king had made a grave mistake when he left Tommy behind.

He'd left the horse. 

Surely he expected his son to heed his words and stay put, but Tommy was rarely one to act based on logic. He would definitely be getting chewed out for this... 

His body ached when he stood up, his injuries smarted when he hobbled over to the steed who was grazing nearby. His fingers trembled as he mounted the horse and his wounded neck stung as he sped off down the road at top speed. He may have been in rough shape, but so long as he could move his body, no amount of bruises or scrapes could ever stop Prince Tommy from causing as much chaos as possible. 

Hopefully, he was making the right choice. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How about that finale stream yesterday eh? I cried. 
> 
> Multiple times.   
> Throw that green bitch in jail and let him rot /j 
> 
> Anyway, I was emotionally destroyed from that whole ordeal so forgive me if this chapter didn't flow very well. I may go back later and edit it a bit if I need to.


	16. The Hunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The king returns home and proceeds to whoop some serious ass with the twins. Wacky shenanigans ensue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I took so long to get this out! I hit a bit of a wall and ended up rewriting this chapter a couple times before I was satisfied enough to post it :)
> 
> it has also come to my attention that several of my discord friends have come across this fic and read it???? and said they liked it??? Not to be dramatic or anything, but I actually cried  
> So uh, hi guys 👋🏻

With the knowledge that Tommy was safe, Phil sped towards the castle gates with determination and purpose. He was nearly there now; perhaps only a few minutes away from reaching the entrance. 

He had been so relieved when his son hadn't put up a fight. It was evident in Tommy's expression that he didn't want to stay behind- he always liked being involved. Luckily, he seemed to understand that now was not the time for reckless bravery. 

The king had taken notice of the way Tommy looked, the moment he first rushed to untie him back in that forest. He was paler, and he trembled ever so slightly with every movement. The boy was naturally skinny, but he had looked even more thin and frail, if that was even possible. The way he visibly winced whenever he moved, the dark circles under his eyes, the way his eyes blinked slowly and sluggishly. It would be evident to anyone who looked at Tommy that he was in no shape to jump into a battle. 

Tommy needed a good meal, some bandages, and some proper rest- not to be caught in the middle of another warzone. Phil promised himself that however this turned out, he would never allow his son to be put in danger like that again. Perhaps it was time to get more serious about Tommy's sword training, Phil had been rather short-sighted when he refused to let the boy learn how to fight. He'd wanted the best possible childhood for his youngest, but that decision is what made him a target in the first place. 

He wasn't a child anymore, he hadn't been in quite awhile now... The king swore that the moment this was over and Tommy was fully recovered, he would personally see to it that the teen could defend himself with ease. 

All that was left to worry him now was the fate of his two eldest. 

Phil practically leapt off his horse the moment it passed through the gates. With a single elegant movement, he drew his sword and sprinted through the nearest doorway. As he dashed down the corridor, he had to jump over bodies every few feet or so. Some of them were his own royal guards, but several of them wore the familiar black masks he'd seen too much of that day. Luckily, none of the corpses had pink hair or wore a bright yellow tunic. 

Occasionally, one of the enemy bodies he passed might twitch or stir to indicate life. It was immediately extinguished. 

Aside from the clicking of his own boots on the floor, no other sound could be heard. Obviously whatever battle had happened in this wing of the palace had moved on to somewhere else. The king did notice that the deeper he went into the building, the less royal guards he saw strewn on the ground; there were, however, a lot more enemy soldiers lying in bloody heaps as he ran. A slight smile crept across Phil's face at the sight. 

It wasn't very long before he heard shuffling noises in a room he passed- the library. 

It was a group or palace staff huddled behind some bookshelves. There were a few maids and attendants, as well as a few royal guards who appeared to be wounded, but still had their weapons at the ready to protect the others. The group seemed immensely relieved to see that it was the king who barged in. 

"Sire! You've returned!" One of the guards said. 

"Yes, I managed to rescue Prince Tommy and he's waiting in a safe place. What's happened here?" Phil asked. 

"It happened so fast... we were in the middle of switching shifts when arrows started coming out of nowhere! Then all these armed men came rushing at us from all directions and just plowed right through, we tried stopping them but they took out so many of us and just kept moving. They demanded to be told where the princes were and killed anyone who didn't immediately cooperate," The guard replied. 

"I see. Do you know where my sons are now?" 

"No one knew where they were at first. The rest of the royal guard split up to find them and protect them, but they weren't where they were supposed to be...we were beginning to wonder if they were still alive at all! But then, I was in the middle of fighting one of those brutes and both of the princes came barreling down the hallway and slayed him just before he could kill me. I was wounded though," He gestured to a large gash on his forearm that had been quickly and poorly bandaged, "I tried to accompany them, but they ordered me to take shelter and protect the unarmed staff as best I could. They told me they'd tell any other guards they came across to do the same... and before they ran off- they said they'd be 'taking care' of the situation."

Phil pondered the guard's story for a moment. It made sense, and would certainly explain why the palace seemed so eerily quiet since he'd arrived; Everyone had been ordered to hide. It was just like his eldest to take it upon themselves to handle problems like this on their own, they liked hogging all the fun for themselves. Luckily, it seemed as though they'd been doing a decent job so far. 

"Thank you, young man," the king finally spoke, giving the guard who had given the report an approving nod, "I'll admit, the situation is rather complicated- I'm not even sure if I have the full picture myself, but I would like to keep the loss of life to a minimum today. Keep protecting these people, I'm going to go find my sons." 

"Yes- of course, your highness!" the guard saluted weakly with his wounded arm before sitting back down. The other people in the room gave respectful bows to their emperor as he left the library to continue his sweep of the castle. 

The piles of enemy corpses were leading in a very clear direction- the throne room. Phil heard the clashing of swords and familiar battle cries getting louder as he climbed the grand staircase that lead to it. There was also distinct laughter that could be heard echoing through the spacious rooms and hallways. 

Those were his boys, for sure. They'd been nice enough to leave a trail for him, how thoughtful of them. 

They were alive- of course they were, Phil had insisted that Schlatt underestimated them. Though, He'd be lying if he said a small part of him didn't worry that he was wrong.

One thing Schlatt had been truthful about though, was the amount of men that he'd sent. There were too many dead soldiers to count, and who knows how many living ones were left. They must have simply plowed their way into the building and overwhelmed the guards stationed at the gates, not leaving his own men any time to react or make a plan. Phil surmised that most of the casualties occurred early on, as the royal guard had desperately tried to force the intruders out... but they were unprepared. What happened after that was unclear to the king; perhaps the intruders had split into groups to sweep the building, or maybe they stayed together and bulldozed their way through the hallways like an impenetrable mob? Either way, it seemed that the twins had introduced themselves at some point and had been showing these bastards who was boss. 

Phil turned a corner and peeked into the throne room, seeing exactly what he expected to see. 

Wilbur and Technoblade were standing back-to-back in the center of the room, rotating in sync like the well-practiced duo they were. Of course, the floor was littered with their enemies, who had been slain quickly and brutally. However, the two of them were looking rather weary and appeared to be moving slower than usual. They each seemed to have several minor injuries. Both brothers were clearly out of breath, Techno's usually well kept braid was very messy. It was understandable... they must have been fighting non-stop for hours by that point, everyone runs out of energy eventually. There were several soldiers circling them slowly, but not attacking yet- clearly at some sort of impasse. Seemed like Phil arrived just in time. 

King Philza marched into his throne room with his weapon raised. Before anyone even heard his footsteps, a man's head was already rolling across the floor. Everyone turned to make eye contact with the new challenger, only to be face to face with the king himself (who was _very much_ alive). The two princes' eyes lit up at the sight of their long-awaited backup, their shoulders relaxed a bit with the knowledge that their father was alright.

"Can I help you, gentlemen?" Phil asked in an icy cold tone, "You seem a bit lost. This palace isn't open for visitors... you must be in the wrong place." 

"Hi Dad," The twins greeted in unison. 

"...Is that the king?" Someone muttered from a corner of the room. 

"That's right, mate. That means you're all in _my_ house. I'd simply ask you to leave... but I think I'd rather kill you all like I killed your leader," Phil replied, unable to hold back a smile that many might find sadistic, but these people had forfeited their right to mercy the moment they agreed to do what they did. He took a small amount of satisfaction at the way the masked men visibly shrunk back, unmoving as though they were frozen. 

Suddenly, the two men standing directly in front of Techno and Wilbur had blades protruding from their chests and the fighting resumed. Though, this time, the enemy seemed far less offensive, possibly because the knowledge that their leader was dead meant they were here for nothing. Now they were the ones fighting for their lives; there was no longer a victory in sight for them and they had to know that. 

Phil began to cut down his enemies with ease. A few of them tried pulling out their crossbows, but they were much less useful in such close combat. The king would simply knock the weapon out of their hands before they even had a chance to load it. He sliced through them with his sword. He instinctively ducked and dodged the assailants that desperately swung their blades at him with flawed techniques. 

Unsurprisingly, their enemies didn't take very long to realize that they were fighting a losing battle; almost in unison, they all made a run for it- dashing through the large throne room doors in a futile attempt to escape. Of course, the king and his sons immediately gave chase, despite their rapidly decreasing stamina. It was an unspoken agreement between them that not a single one of these men would be left alive by the end of this. 

It became much like a hunt. Phil, Techno, and Wilbur stalked and chased their prey through the corridors, slowly wildling down their numbers as they hunted. At one point, the mob of fleeing bastards split up and headed in several different directions. The royal trio followed suit, and split up to chase down their enemies on their own. 

Something they hadn't taken notice of, however, was the fact that their prey had suddenly become more prone to tripping and falling; or that suits of armor would conveniently topple over to block the path of someone they were chasing. It was almost comedic how unlucky the soldiers had become all at once.

It wasn't until an entire chandelier inexplicably fell onto a soldier that Phil noticed something was up. He looked to the ceiling where the light fixture had been, only to see an arrow sticking out of it. Someone had shot it down on purpose. Someone had been tripping their enemies and knocking things down to prevent them from escaping. Was it a guard? Perhaps a brave servant who wanted to help them in any small way they could? Whoever it was certainly knew their way around the palace and moved very quickly- staying out of sight at all times. The king made a mental note to find out who was helping them and reward them later. 

The hunt continued until the three royals had killed all of the masked men except one. The trio reconnected and resumed the chase together- they were low on energy and had slowed down quite a bit, but the knowledge that they were nearly finished was more than enough to keep them going. This entire fiasco was _so close_ to being over that the king could practically taste the victory. 

This final victim sure was fast, though. Maybe he just had luck on his side, because he managed to just barely dodge every attack that was thrown his way. It was more of a nuisance at first, but quickly became frustrating. Phil's calf muscles ached and his lungs were on fire from the non-stop running he'd been doing, but if he stopped, he knew he wouldn't be able to get going again for a little while. Maybe, he and the twins could just chase him to exhaustion? 

At last, they had him cornered- the likely final survivor of Schlatt's army had run into a dead end hallway with no feasible means of escape; or at least no conventional means of escape. Phil, Wil, and Techno slowed to a stop and began closing in on the masked man who slowly backed away from their advances. 

But like a cornered animal with nothing to lose, he started looking around wildly in desperate hope of finding something to help him flee. Eventually, he fixated on something to the left and took a split second to consider his chances. 

It was a window. If he jumped, he would be injured, but he would likely survive. The king and his sons noticed this as well, but before they could reach him, the man was already making a run for the only escape route he had. 

That was when a thin figure leapt out from behind a suit of armor that was right next to the window and threw themselves in front of the man, crashing into him and causing him to stumble backwards. It all happened in a few seconds, and in a blur of motion that made it difficult to even figure out what was happening. The man now lay in a heap on the floor with his assailant hunched over on top of him; they both seemed a little dazed from the collision. No doubt this was the one who had been helping Phil catch these bastards the whole time. 

His heart nearly stopped when he finally noticed the mass of matted golden hair and bruised appendages. It was Tommy, wasn't it?

Damn it, what on earth was he thinking? How long had he been there? Of course he hadn't listened to Phil's instructions- he rarely did that anyway. 

The masked man quickly recovered from his daze, and didn't waste his final opportunity for survival. He also recognized the dizzy teen on top of him, seemingly sooner than Phil had. Quick as lightning, he was on his feet and holding onto the boy in a similar way that Schlatt had. Either Tommy had hit his head on something just now, or he'd finally run out of the energy to function, because he barely responded to the man that hauled him to his feet and put him in a chokehold. 

It was then that the twin's recognized the disheveled figure before them as their little brother, who they hadn't even known was rescued until now. There'd been no time for Phil to fill them in.

"Oh my gods- Tommy?" Came Wilbur's shocked voice and his hand visibly tightened around his sword. It was clear that he wasn't even sure if that was who he was really looking at. The young prince really did look awful compared to the last time his brothers had seen him. 

Technoblade took an instinctive step forward, but the hand of his father stopped him from doing anything stupid. This had certainly been unexpected, but it didn't change the fact that Phil didn't want any more harm to come to his family. 

"N-not another step, or I snap his neck!" The brute stammered. Tommy was rigid in his grip, looking to be on the verge of passing out; It appeared as though he'd used the last of his stamina to block the masked man from escaping, "I'll do it-! I'll kill him, I swear! Just let me leave and I wont hurt him-"

"I've had enough of this for one day." Phil was utterly sick of this whole affair. After all he'd been through today, he'd be damned if some faceless shithead made it all worthless. What could he do though? It was the same as the situation in the forest earlier... what move were they meant to make when Tommy was on the line? Gods, that child was so damn stubborn, why couldn't he have just stayed behind?? 

"I don't know _how_ Tommy got here, but I swear I will flay your flesh if you so much as scratch him." Techno bellowed. The slight tremble in his voice went unnoticed by everyone but Phil. Techno was clearly upset at the state of his brother, though he did an excellent job of hiding it. Phil had intended on giving his sons the news of Tommy's rescue as soon as they'd rid the palace of the intruders, but this was not the ideal way of finding out that Tommy was (relatively) okay. 

The masked man crept closer to the window again, lugging the near-unconscious boy with him, "No.. I'm going to leave. A-and you're going to let me. You think I'm the last of us? No, theres more- and we won't let this be a setback for us.-"

"Put him _the fuck_ down!" Wilbur nearly screamed, startling everyone in the room. His pupils were mere pinpricks and his teeth were bared in a way that made him seem almost like an animal. Even Techno seemed taken aback by his twin's sudden outburst, "Put him down now, or I swear I'll make you wish you were dead!" 

"N-no! I'll strangle the kid if you come any closer-! Don't... don't try me, he'll die if you don't let me leave," the man made a movement to suggest he was going to try and climb out the window somehow, with Tommy. Despite his trembling voice, there was no doubt he was serious about his threats. He had been working for a monster like Schlatt, after all. Phil was overcome with the same feeling of helplessness that he'd felt all week. What on earth was he supposed to do? They'd be back to square one if they didn't stop this man _right now._

The tension in the room was high as the man kept stammering out threats and inched his way closer to his exit. Phil almost didn't notice that Tommy had opened his eyes and was looking at him- but he didn't seem afraid in the slightest. In fact, it almost looked like he was stifling a smirk. Had he just... winked at him? 

He was faking. 

"...You haven't seen the last of us! You- you have no idea what we're really capable of! You- AAUGHH!" The bastard's words were cut off with a sudden yowl of pain as his knees nearly buckled under him. He had received a solid kick to the crotch from his hostage, who was no longer pretending to be passed out. Tommy grinned and promptly sunk his teeth into the man's forearm (which elicited another scream of agony), then ducked out from under his loosened grip. Before the man could regain his senses, Tommy had already stepped behind him and delivered a gentle kick to the back and knocking him over. He then dug his foot into his enemy's back and looked back at his family with a confident, yet tired smile.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye, leaving everyone stunned. Even Phil, who had just figured out that Tommy was faking was surprised at how quickly he sprang to life. No one moved for a good few seconds before the reality of what had just transpired sunk in. 

"Uh, hi guys-"

In an instant, the trio was at Tommy's side. Wilbur pulled him away from the man on the ground before Techno buried his sword in his back. He was immediately enveloped in a tight hug, which the teen happily melted into. 

"Tommy, how on earth did you get here? Are you alright? Gods, you look awful, what did they do to you? You had us so worried for you-" Wilbur was rambling. Much in the way Phil had, Wilbur was clinging to his brother like he would evaporate if he let go. They sank to the floor with Tommy's face buried in Wil's chest as he rambled. 

"How _did_ you get here?" Techno asked dryly, though the softness in his eyes was unmistakable. He looked to Phil for an answer, who pinched the bridge of his nose with mild frustration. 

"Long story. He was meant so stay behind in a safe place... but it looks like someone was too eager to get home." The king feigned annoyance. Honestly, he didn't have the energy to be angry. If everything turned out okay, did it even matter? Techno stifled a snicker and the two of them joined Wilbur and Tommy on the ground

Wilbur pulled away from the hug and held his brother at arms length- getting a good look at him. They studied each others faces for a moment, Wil looked at his baby brother with fond eyes. He brushed his thumb across Tommy's cheek to wipe away a tear that had made its way out. He didn't seem to notice the tears that had begun flowing down his own face as well. 

"You're crying Wil, don't be a bitch," Tommy whispered. He had the biggest grin he could possibly muster. Wilbur choked out a laugh through his crocodile tears and eventually devolved into joy-filled sobs and another tight embrace. He was always a bit dramatic. 

Finally, Techno spoke up, "That...those were some pretty good moves just now. Maybe you could teach me sometime, yeah?" He placed an awkward hand on his little brother's shoulder, never one for the mushy stuff. Even he couldn't hide the glassiness of his own eyes or the smile that refused to leave his lips. He ruffled Tommy's hair affectionately- something he hadn't done in a long time. 

The family sat like that in their little huddle for what felt like ages, though it was more than likely just a few minutes. No one said a word, they didn't need to- there was nothing to say that could possibly express how they felt. Just being together was more than enough. 

A gentle snore broke the silence that settled on the hallway. Phil and the twins perked up to notice that Tommy had fallen asleep in Wilbur's arms. Understandable. It was rather shocking he hadn't passed out sooner. The trio chuckled quietly. 

"He's got the right idea, I suppose..." Phil mused, stifling a yawn, "It's- it's been a rough day. He needs to rest." 

"I guess we should get to work on cleaning up this mess, huh?" Wilbur joked under his breath, he was referring to the abundance of corpses that were now littered around their home.

"Probably. It's gonna be a lot of work to get this all sorted," Techno said, his voice suddenly became more solemn, "We lost a lot of guards. We'll have to count the casualties...inform their families-"

"Hey, you both did your best to minimize losses. We'll sort everything out, let's just take a minute to breathe, alright?" said Phil. 

"Ok Dad." The twins replied in unison. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys thought something terrible was gonna happen didn't you? Nope- he's fine, see? Barely a scratch on him.
> 
> I'm thinking maybe one or two more chapters before we finish up here.


	17. Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy wakes up in his own bed and feels safe for the first time in awhile. He has a little chat with the king as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friends think fluff is inferior to angst. I'm here to say that no- both are equally important and I will die on that hill.

Sunlight poured into the room. Birds were perched outside the windows, singing their song. Everything was peaceful and serene- It was warm and safe.

Tommy blearily opened his eyes and blinked the sleep away. He was in his own bed, in his own room, in his own home. He was practically buried in the mound of velvety blankets that were piled on top of him; it felt like a protective cocoon of sorts. 

He sat up and stretched- relishing in fact that he could move uninhibited. To his left, Technoblade looked up from the book he was reading and cracked a smile. 

"G'morning Toms, how do you feel?" He asked in his usual monotone voice, snapping his book closed and giving Tommy his full attention. 

"Better, thanks," Tommy examined his arms. The bruises and scrapes had faded significantly. The once deep purple rope burns on his wrists were more of a greenish-brown now. He felt his neck, which had a proper bandage over the gash he'd received there. Healing potions, probably- Those things worked wonders for sure. Though he was still a little sore, he felt leagues better than he had before, "What... what time is it?"

"Relax, you weren't asleep for that long. Maybe 14 hours? We figured you could use the rest... you were pretty banged up." Techno's brows furrowed a little, clearly bothered. He quickly brushed passed it though, and returned to his usual demeanor, "But it's good that you feel better, hopefully you'll be back at 100% with another couple rounds of healing potions."

"Thank gods. I just wanna forget this whole thing ever happened! I- I don't want to think about this ever again..." Tommy was half-joking. He knew he'd never be able to forget, some wounds can't be healed with potions. The cruel laughter that echoed through his brain made his heart pump faster. He could still feel the pressure of phantom ropes digging into his flesh and the feeling of a tear-soaked cloth covering his eyes. He could still taste the terror he'd felt when he thought his father was going to die right in front of him. The memory of being dragged from his bed and being unable to scream for help would likely haunt him for a long, long time. He recalled the nausea that washed over him whenever Schlatt would talk down to him or ruffle his hair like he was a dog, or the way he'd been thrown around like a ragdoll and not a person... The way everything felt cold all the time, how he'd been reduced to a helpless bargaining chip and treated with as much respect as someone might show a donkey. 

"Tommy?" 

The young prince snapped out of his toxic thoughts and met his older brother's eyes. Techno had his hand on his shoulder and was looking at him with concern. 

"Are you alright?"

"M'fine. Just spaced out for a minute, sorry," He took a slightly shaky deep breath, "I'm okay, really- I'm fine."

Techno eyed him suspiciously, but seemed to let it go for now, "...Dad told us everything he remembers, would you mind filling me in on what you remember? What happened to you?"

"Uh...well. It's kind of a long story. I dunno if I can- they... I... uhm. I can't-" Tommy stammered. Where would he even start? Should he tell them everything? Did he even want to? Why was his heart pounding again? 

"Nevermind!" Techno realized his mistake and held up his hands in surrender, "Maybe now isn't the time... we'll talk about it later, yeah?"

"Yeah... I think I'd like that better." Tommy muttered with relief, "...have you been sitting in here this whole time, Techno?"

His brother laughed, "Nah. I had to help with some cleanup and take care of some things. Only been in here for about an hour... I thought maybe you'd like to see a friendly face when you got up. Y'know, in case you had a... bad dream or something." Techno was avoiding eye contact the way he always did when he tried to be sincere. It was rare for him to be anything but dry and sarcastic.

"So Dad didn't put you up to it?" Tommy asked teasingly with a raised eyebrow. 

"No- I'm not heartless you know. I can do nice things on my own!" It was difficult to tell if Techno was really offended or not, but he smiled after a minute. Tommy was actually quite glad someone was there with him when he woke up; loneliness was not something he wanted to deal with ever again. 

A comfortable silence fell on the two brothers. They both sat and listened to the chirping of the birds and simply enjoying each other's company for a good few minutes before their conversation resumed. 

"Am I... in trouble..?" Tommy asked sheepishly. He knew it was a silly question, but had to ask anyway. 

"In trou- HEH? What are you even talking about? Why would you be in trouble?" His oldest sibling seemed genuinely taken aback, and even a little concerned that Tommy would ask such a thing, "Do you think you'd be in trouble for _being kidnapped???_ " 

"No no, I didn't mean that- I was talking about um..." He fiddled with his fingers absentmindedly and was unable to mask the nervous smile on his face, "how I followed Dad back home to help you guys even though he told me to stay put? Heh."

Before Technoblade could respond, the door to the bedroom creaked open, "Ohh yeah. You're not off the hook for that one yet, mate." 

It was the king himself, leaning against the doorway with a smug grin on his face. 

"Glad to see you're up, son." He said, much more genuine this time, "And you look much better!" 

"Oh, hey Dad," Techno said. 

"G'morning Techno. I hope you don't mind, but I'd like to talk to Tommy alone for a few minutes. Do you thing you could...?" Phil gestured awkwardly to the door.

"Uh, sure! I still needed to take care of a few things anyway so... see y'later Toms," Technoblade took their father's hint and showed himself out, but not before giving Tommy an affectionate pat on the shoulder and a genuinely warm smile that reminded him that he was home. 

When Techno had left, the king sat himself on the side of Tommy's bed and turned to face the boy with an expectant look on his face.

"Well?" he probed. 

"I'm in trouble, aren't I?" Tommy practically whispered, guilty smile still plastered on his face. He figured Phil would end up scolding him about this sooner or later. Despite things turning out okay, even Tommy knew he was making an incredibly risky choice by doing what he did. It could have easily turned out very differently and he knew he had gotten very lucky, all things considered. Tommy supposed now was as good a time as any to get this discussion out of the way. 

Phil sighed, "I'm not going to punish you, if that's what you're wondering. I think you've been through enough already, don't you?" His eyes drifted to look at Tommy's arms, where several marks were still visible. His eyes looked pained at the sight of them, "Besides, I'd imagine you already know what I'm going to say- you knew what you were doing."

"Yeah..."

"I told you to stay behind, Tommy."

"I know-"

"You could have gotten yourself even more seriously hurt, do you even realize how bad of a shape you were in? I don't know what I'd do with myself if you got taken again- or worse!" Phil wasn't shouting. In fact, he didn't even seem all that angry; just frustrated, and a little afraid, like he might cry at any moment. Tommy didn't like seeing his dad this distressed. 

"I'm sorry Dad... I know it was dumb," He mumbled, "I just couldn't stand to sit around and keep being useless, I just thought there was a way I could help without using a weapon or anything."

His father's shoulders lowered a little, and he scooted himself closer to where Tommy was laying. His eyes softened and he placed a firm hand on his son's shoulder, "Tommy, you're not useless- you've never been useless. The things that bastard said about you? None of it is true. You're smart, and you think outside the box; you're capable of just as much as your brothers. Don't ever forget that." 

Tommy said nothing, he only took in the words he'd never realized he needed to hear from his father until just then. 

"And... you're lack of experience with combat is... it's my fault. I should have ensured you knew how to defend yourself. You're more than capable of wielding a weapon, I just didn't let you learn because I wanted you to be able to enjoy other activities." Phil looked ashamed, briefly turning away from his son and closing his eyes as if to shoo away the shame, "But you're older now, and I should stop treating you like a child. So, when you're all healed up, I'm going to make sure you resume your sword training and I'm going to let you progress at you're own pace," He paused for a moment and looked right into Tommy's eyes with sincerity, "I'm sorry I waited so long to let you learn."

The young prince was stunned. He had expected to be yelled at, scolded, anything like that. He'd never imagined that his father would be the one apologizing to _him._ It was strangely comforting to hear from someone else's mouth that he was worthwhile and skilled and most certainly _not_ useless. Schlatt was wrong. He was wrong about everything he ever said about Tommy and his family. 

"Thanks Dad..." Tommy finally responded. Phil smiled nodded on acknowledgement before continuing. 

"I know you just wanted to help... just know that the only reason I didn't want you there was because you were hurt. I would have let you come if you were in good enough health, but you weren't, so I wanted to keep you safe. I would have done the same if it were either of your brothers in the same situation. It had nothing to do with my faith in your abilities to help, okay?" 

"I understand... I'm sorry I disobeyed. I never meant to-"

Tommy's apology was cut off by another tight hug from his father, who let out a half-hearted chuckle, "I know," He whispered reassuringly, "Don't ever scare me like that again though, alright?" 

"Okay." 

Phil pulled away from the embrace with a hand on his son's cheek, who leaned into the touch. Their family wasn't usually this physically affectionate, but perhaps recent events made them realize they hadn't shown their love for each other nearly enough. Whatever the reason, Tommy knew this was what he needed right now. 

"I will admit though..." The king crossed his arms and gave a mischievous smile, "Those moves you pulled back there? Tripping the soldiers and shooting down chandeliers to help us catch them? Pretending to be incapacitated to trick that man? You did me proud, Toms."

It was difficult for Tommy to suppress a cry of glee at that. He really had done alright, hadn't he? "I just did what I thought one of you would do," He said.

"Ohhhh, I don't think either of your brothers are that clever. Don't tell 'em I said that though," Phil laughed, "I hate to say it, but you really did help us... even if you scared the living hell out of me." 

Tommy let out a small giggle, which quickly evolved into his signature boisterous wheezes. He was home. He was safe. His family was all right here and they were safe too. He was so caught up in his thoughts of comfort that he barely noticed when tears started streaking down his face, which startled his father quite a bit. 

"Tommy? Are you alright? What's wrong?" He asked with concern

The young prince only threw his arm's around his dad's shoulders, craving the safety and warmth that came with those hugs. Phil returned the embrace gently, rubbing comforting circles onto his back and occasionally running a hand through his hair. Through joyful sobs he managed to choke out, "It's over Dad, It's finally over-"

The two of them sat like that for a long time, just being there together was more than enough. No more words needed to be spoken. 

It wasn't until Tommy's stomach growled loudly that they separated. Tommy's physical injuries were healing, but he still hadn't eaten. Phil cursed to himself and apologized for not sending for a meal yet, saying that the boy must be absolutely starving and in need of water. He was right, of course, and Tommy asked for the biggest breakfast the castle chefs could make. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fluff is good. Take some~  
> I have one more chapter planned to cap off this story! How would you guys feel if I made this a series? I have several other ideas for how other characters could fit into this world. I didn't include them in this story because I felt like it didn't suit the plot to have too many characters, but I considered it.  
>  LMK how you'd feel about that! Would you read it?


	18. Ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A happy conclusion to cap off our little story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been a long ride (one month exactly lol) but here we are. The end. I hope you enjoy!!

"Your majesty!! A word?" A voice said from down the hall. 

"Yes?" Phil turned to face the attendant who called for him. 

"We've taken count of all of yesterday's casualties. 97 dead men and 12 injured, sir."

"I see, that's more than I expected... thank you for telling me. Please inform Prince Technoblade about this. I'm sure he'd like to be the one to inform the families," The attendant acknowledged the request with a dutiful nod, but before he could turn and leave, the king spoke up, "And-! Please send for replacement guards. Tragic as this is, we mustn't leave our capital unprotected."

"Yes, your highness- right away!" The attendant bowed respectfully before hurrying off down the corridor to fulfill his orders. 

"Thank you young man-!" Phil called after him. 

The cleanup process for the previous day's events was still ongoing, but everything was proceeding on an orderly fashion. Once it was determined that there was no danger, everyone set to work on sorting through the mess of bodies and broken objects that were littered throughout the palace. Even Phil himself helped to load corpses onto wagons to be burned. Hopefully everything would be back to normal within the following few days. 

He had just come from visiting Tommy, who was out of bed now and had gone to sit with Wilbur in the castle garden. Wil brought out his guitar and was letting his little brother try to play it. The two of them were laughing and teasing each other just as they always did. While watching them pester one another would usually annoy the king, this time he found his heart being warmed by the sight. To think he almost never got the chance to see this again. 

Phil continued his little stroll through the palace halls, stopping occasionally to give someone orders or ask a staff member how they were doing. He shook his head to himself as he remembered the amount of men who had died the day before. So senseless and tragic... he would see to it that each of those guards received proper burials with the honor they deserved. Nothing like this would ever be allowed to happen again for as long as King Philza ruled this kingdom. 

He brushed those thoughts aside momentarily- he had things to do today. Namely, he needed to send a speaker to inform the citizens of what had been happening the past week. In all the frenzy and panic of trying to get the prince back, very little word was actually given to the people. Phil was certain that they were confused about the commotion; no doubt crazy rumors were already being spread. It wasn't really something he wanted to do today, but it was still his job. 

Ideally, he would much prefer spending some more quality time with Tommy. Back in his bedroom earlier, he noticed something odd about his youngest son's behavior. It was subtle, but it was there. 

Tommy was quieter, much quieter. He seemed more apologetic about his actions than Phil expected him to be. Though he had put on a smile, there was _something_ off about it- like he was struggling to do it. Tommy was never one to be meek or polite, he was always the loudest one in the room. But when he'd gone to visit him, everything about the boy- from his posture to the tone of his voice- was different. The king was unsure if he was reading too much into things... but if he wasn't, that meant Tommy would need more than just healing potions to recover from his experiences (whatever they may have been). 

Phil's train of thought was broken by the sound of boots thundering on the marble floors several corridors away. Why was someone in such a hurry? 

His question was answered when Technoblade turned the corner, made eye contact with him, and sprinted towards him with startling speed. 

"DAD!" He called with urgency as he approached. 

"Techno? What's the matter? Why are you in such a big rush?" The king questioned. Techno didn't answer immediately, as he was catching his breath, "Did you get the news about the casualties? I sent someone to tell you not too long ago and-" 

"No... *pant* I didn't get any... *pant* news about that. I need to show you something...*pant* _now._ " Techno huffed. The look on his face was not one Phil had seen before, so It was hard to place. But nonetheless, a pit formed in the king's stomach. Techno was never this frazzled.

"Of course. Lead the way,"

Techno nodded and motioned for his father to follow him back the way he'd come from. Once he regained his composure, he began to explain. 

"Why didn't you mention that you sent out a group to retrieve this... 'Schlatt' person's body? I would have liked to be part of that."

"Must've slipped my mind... sorry mate. I just wanted it brought back so we could burn it is all. Who told you?"

Techno inhaled sharply, "The leader of the team you sent. They just got back and I was the first person they reported to. He had to explain his mission to me before I even understood what he was talking about-"

"Get to the point, Techno. What's happened?" 

"It's gone."

"What?"

"The body- It wasn't there."

"It's only been a day, how could the wildlife possibly have destroyed it so quickly? Are you sure?"

"Yes. There was no trace of a corpse, or anything you described for that matter. No table, no arrows all over the place- apparently there wasn't even any blood on the ground where the body should have been. I don't think it was the animals, Dad." 

Phil was at a loss for words. What was his son telling him? It made no sense... surely the team he sent must have just gone to the wrong place; though Phil's directions had been clear. He was about to express his confusion when his son turned a corner and pointed to the throne room doors, gesturing for him to go inside. 

"Theres more, though. I think you ought to see it for yourself." Techno muttered as he held the door open for his father. 

When Phil walked inside, there were several guards waiting around- the team he had assigned to bring him Schlatt's body. They stood at attention upon seeing him, with the leader stepping forward. Every single one of them was visibly nervous. 

"What on earth is going on?!" Phil demanded. 

"My liege, I'm afraid we have some concerning news," The leader said with a small bow, "I assume the prince has already informed you that we couldn't find the body?"

"Yes he has. Will someone please tell me why everyone is so distressed? What happened?" 

"W-well, we went to the location you requested, but there was nothing there to even suggest that people had been there besides a few footprints and arrow holes in the trees. We searched as hard as we could but came up with nothing! Just as we were about to leave, a messenger hawk flew down and it wouldn't leave until we took the letter it was carrying," He gestured to another guard, who handed him a folded piece of paper nervously, "Th- This is what it had... I think you should read this, sir." 

The pit in Phil's stomach just grew tenfold. This was awfully familiar... but it shouldn't be happening. This had to be some kind of misunderstanding. He had nearly hacked Schlatt to pieces for hurting his boy, there was no doubt in his mind that that creature was dead as dead could be. But this note... maybe it wasn't what he thought it was. 

Very slowly, the king reached out his hand and took the paper from the guard's hand, unfolded it, and read the short but terrifying message within it:

_To his majesty King Philza,_

_I'm afraid it will take more than that to kill me. You may not have noticed yet, but I'm not exactly human._

_I must admit, thing's didn't go as well as I had hoped. I was too confident and there were flaws in my scheme that I should have noticed before... but that matters very little now I suppose._

_Congratulations on your victory, I hope to see you all again someday... or not. We'll see._

_Until next time, your highness. Give Prince Thomas my warm regards, won't you? I quite enjoyed his company._

_~_

It took everything in Phil not to vomit right then and there. This shouldn't be possible, yet here they were. How was he even meant to respond to that?? Now he understood why Technoblade had been so rattled. This... this was sickening. 

"What should we do, sire?" The guard asked.

"Send word to my armies at once, I need to speak to my generals. I don't know how this is possible, but we're clearly not done yet." The king ordered. He was standing up straight with his hands firmly behind his back in a confident posture that did well to disguise the growing nausea he felt. He turned to Techno with a serious look on his face, "Go protect your brothers."

Techno only nodded, and then he was gone. 

"Do you think they'll try something?" The guard asked. 

"...I don't know. Regardless, I do know one thing," King Philza looked at the paper in his hands again, rage bubbling up in his chest once more, "This is war." 

End  
?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about that :)  
> What do you think? Did Schlatt survive somehow or is there some sort of trickery afoot? Where might things go from here, hmm? Tell me your thoughts 🥰
> 
> I also wanted to just thank all of you who've read my story! Trust me when I say I'm not a writer and this was quite literally my first fanfiction ever. I hadn't tried to write anything seriously in years and I just posted a self-indulgent one shot thinking it would get like 70 hits max.  
> Frankly, I almost didn't post the first chapter at all because I was so fucking nervous that people would think it was cringey or something...  
> But here you all are, enjoying every update and showering me with kind words and encouragement! I never thought I'd even continue this story at all, or if I did, it would only be a little.  
> But, because of all the support you've shown, I'm going to keep going with this idea... I have a lot of stuff in mind for how things could go, so stick around if you're interested in that!♥♥♥

**Author's Note:**

> What would you guys like to see in the sequel? I have a general idea of how the plot will go, but are there any little things you'd like to see? I'll try to fit them in if it makes sense story-wise
> 
> spare a comment? Telling me what you think boosts my serotonin 🤙🏻


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